The Chronicles Of Rasha
by ScarletHand2
Summary: There's so much about her...so many questions unanswered. A new addition to the SHP could lead to trouble or paradise...are they willing to risk it? So many talents, but so many mysteries about her...is Rasha really all that she seems? OCxLuffy Ch.11 up!
1. Prologue

Author's Note: Here's my first One Piece story on Fanfiction...ever! Enjoy!

Oh yeah, and btw...later on in the story, there's two more OCs, Yumi and Verity. I didn't make them up, however. But you'll learn more about them later on in the story.

* * *

There once was a large and luscious kingdom by the sea called Caleria. There were green, rolling hills; large but quaint houses; friendly people; wonderful flowers in bloom; and sandy beaches, where the water was crystal clear. There was always nice weather here, but the rains made the flowers and the crops grow. The summers were hot and the winters cold, but there were not too many storms, which is surprising, considering the location of the kingdom. Some say that a magic spell was cast on that land just as Caleria began to thrive; a spell that protected the kingdom from mystical dangers. 

Atop a large hilltop was a magnificant castle. In it lived the King and Queen, and their daughter, Princess Keaira. Keaira was as beautiful as her kingdom, and everyone loved her. Now when the Princess married the handsome Prince Aiden, together they ruled Caleria from thereon. They had one daughter, which they named Amarante.

Then one fateful day, pirates invaded Caleria. They destroyed everything; every house, every marketplace, even every flower. Few survived to tell the tale. The pirate crew, led by Captain Tarin, attacked the castle next. They killed everyone, including Keaira and Aiden. One year-old Amarante was locked in her nursery, crying, waiting for her nanny to come and get her. But no one came. The pirates never found her, nor what they were looking for: the map to the Grand Line, where the legendary pirate, Gold Roger's, treasure, One Piece, was supposedly buried. It seems that the ship got lost in a storm, and landed in Caleria's port; they automatically assumed that it was the right place, and being pirates, took no mercy.

Keaira and Aiden's friends, Petra and Turie, who lived in the neighboring town, Eleubergia, came to Caleria for a visit to find it in ruins. Being the godparents of Amarante, the accepted custody of the child and took her home with them, where she was raised as if she was their own daughter.

What nobody, not even Keaira and Aiden, knew was that Petra and Turie used to be pirates. They were worldly (in)famous; they led their own crew, the Salty Seadogs, which consisted of many other well-known pirates. A close friend of theirs' was the famous "Red-Haired" Shanks, and he was made the legal guardian of Amarante, should anything happen to them. Although Shanks was busy with his pirating, from time to time he would come visit Amarante; and he saved her from an event that could have cost her her life.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, that's just the beginning. Here are a few notes to clear the water up a bit (no pun intended): 

Petra and Turie already had a daughter, Kirklynn, who was about ten years old when Amarante came to live with them.

Kirklynn's legal guardian was Turie's sister, who lived in Misty Peak.

For safety purposes, Petra and Turie changed Amarante's name to Rasha.


	2. The Other Crew

Author's Note: Here's where the story begins to take off. Brace yourself for romance, action, and tragedy!! No Straw Hat Pirates, yet (unless you count Shanks...oops); that's either next chapter or the one after that, I'll have to decide. Anyways...on with the story!

* * *

Rasha was fast asleep in her bed, the blanket laying askew and both her hands under her pillow. The candle on the nightstand flickered as the occasional gust of wind blew in from the window. Shivering, Rasha groped around for the blanket and pulled it on her, laying still once more.

The candlelight danced playfully on the walls of the small room. The hours went by, and sunlight soon began pouring in from the window. Rasha opened her eyes, blinked a few times, and sat up. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, stretched, and blinked some more.

Then she screamed.

The door flew open with a bang; in came a tall blond man who looked young and had a slight tan. He rushed over to Rasha and put his arm around her.

"Hey, hey," he cooed, stroking her hair as he seated himself on the bed next to her. "What be the matter, young miss?"

She looked into his eyes; they were like pools of blue with a small black drop in the middle. "Who are you?"

He blinked. "Why, I'll be Danton, remember?"

Rasha shook her head. "Where am I?"

He grinned slightly. "Now, that I'll not be tellin' ye. Cap'n wants me to keep me mouth shut, y'see."

"Oh." She did not drop her gaze; neither did he. "How long have I been here?"

He sighed. "Can' tell ye that, neither." Then he grinned. "Okay, enough of the game; you know where you be!"

She smiled playfully. "Of course I do, I was just playing with you." Then she took his hand. "It was a horrible dream, though...are you sure I'm the only girl on this ship?"

He caressed her cheek softly. "You be the first an' only lassie we've had on this here ship." With another grin he added, "You be the loveliest I ever did see."

She blushed and looked down. His hand moved down to her chin, and lifted her head up.

"It'll be okay," he said quietly. "Everything's gonna be okay, I promise."

He pulled her head slowly towards his; their lips met in a passionate kiss; it was a kiss with a question, but Rasha knew that the answer was right in front of her, sharing this kiss with her...

Then suddenly, a man walked in on them.

"Yo!" he shouted; Rasha and Danton broke apart, both looking at the man with surprised looks on their faces.

"Avery," said Danton, clearly as shocked as both Rasha and Avery. "You coulda knocked, or sumthin'..."

Avery's eyes narrowed in disgust. "We're under attack, and you two are makin' out!"

"We weren't-" protested Rasha, but Danton cut her off.

"We're under attack?" he asked seriously, standing up. Rasha looked from him to Avery with both shock and desperation on her face.

"Well, not yet, but Rustin spotted 'em a few miles away..." he replied, looking at Rasha. "I think it be the navy again..."

They both looked at Rasha, then back at each other.

"This may be it," said Avery, looking uncomfortable. "They might take her away for good this time."

Danton sighed. "Just gimme a few moments...this may be the last time I ever see her again."

Avery nodded to both him and Rasha, who was still confused.

He left. Danton sat back down next to Rasha.

"What is he talking about?" asked Rasha, perplexed.

Danton sighed again. "I can't tell ya much, see, but this might just be the last time you ever set foot on this here ship."

"But," she protested, "I don't want to leave...at least not yet. I've had fun on this ship. And besides..." She twisted her hair shyly, "I don't want to leave you."

He let out an exasperated laugh. "I don't want you to leave, neither." He tucked some of Rasha's hair behind her ear. "But you'll move on...probably find some other guy who'll make ye laugh..."

"No one can make me laugh like you could, Danton," said Rasha, smiling.

"Yeah, well..." He looked straight into her eyes. "Promise me sumthin', now. Promise me that you'll move on, that you won't worry your pretty little head over me. But most of all," he leaned in closer, so that their faces were barely two inches apart, "promise me that we'll meet up again someday."

She nodded. "I promise," she replied firmly.

He smiled. "Good." He kissed her one last time; once on the lips, once on the forehead. As he got up to leave, he said, "Goodbye, Rasha. I'll never forget you."

And he was gone. Rasha felt tears welling up in her eyes. She wiped them with her sleeve, stood up, and walked out the door.

Not wishing to be seen, she slid along the wall towards the galley. Approaching the doorway, she snuck cat-like through it and stood up. Finally realized how hungry she was, she grabbed a pineapple from the dish and sat down at the long table. She knew better than to sit in the Captain's chair, so she chose Danton's usual seat. This made her even more upset, so she started to cry as she munched on the strange-tasting pineapple, making it taste slightly salty.

There was a bang from outside, on the deck; the other ship had obviously boarded. She tried her best to ignore the shouts and gunshots, but she couldn't stand it anymore. So she finished her 'pineapple', pushed her chair in, and snuck out of the galley.

Every crew member was fighting men in white sailor suits, even the Captain. She watched in horror as people, both crew and navy members, were pushed off the boat into the choppy seas. Rasha noticed the dark clouds coming in form the north, and instinctivly realized that a storm was brewing.

Then, suddenly, she witnessed something that made her breath fall short.

Danton was ferociously fighting an officer; though it looked as though the officer was winning. The officer pushed him towards the edge of the ship; Danton froze for a split second, seeing Rasha standing there. But that was all it took. The officer raised his leg and kicked Danton hard in the chest; he flew backwards and over the edge, never once opening his eyes. Rasha screamed, but no one could hear her over the noise of the battle.

The Captain then noticed her; he ran over and grabbed her by the neck.

"Ack-what-are-you-ack-doing?" she choked; whether it was on her tears or from lack of air, she didn't know.

"Just follow me lead, princess," he replied under his breath. "Alright you navy, you want 'er?"

The fighting stopped abruptly; the crew all had surprised looks on their faces. The only sound was from the clouds and the waves crashing againt the ship.

The navy men glanced uneasily at each other.

"Well?" shouted the Captain. His voice echoed in the misty air.

One of the navy men took a deep breath and stood up straighter. "Captain Tarin, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you do or say can and will be counted against you in a court of law-"

"Like this?!" the Captain dragged Rasha onto the upper deck and stood near the edge.

"Let go of me!" screamed Rasha, but to no avail; the Captain only tightened his grip. The naval officers climbed up as well, but the Captain took out a pistol and aimed it at all of them.

"One move," he growled, "one move, and she drowns!"

He turned so that Rasha was dangling over the edge of the ship, her legs kicking fuiously. Her shoe slipped off of her foot and splashed into the water just a few feet below.

The navy men looked unsure of what to do, which frightened Rasha even more.

Suddenly, a shout broke the tense silence; shots rang out as the Captain's grip slackened and slipped; Rasha felt herself falling, falling, towards the dark water; then an arm grabbed her and pulled her close; she felt her feet touch the ground and knew she was back on the ship...

Then everything seemed to come into focus as she stood there, shivering from cold and fear. Two navy officers were dragging a struggling Captain Tarin away, onto their ship, which was docked near where Danton had been kicked off.

Rasha felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw that the hand belong to a man; a man with long, red hair and plenty of scars. He looked like a pirate, but for some reason, Rasha knew that she could trust him.

"Why, hello there, Princess," he said kindly. "'S been since we saw each other last."

She smiled. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. I...I'm not a princess. I'm just Rasha. Just Rasha!"

"Just Rasha, eh?" the pirate said with a quirky smile. "Well, I suppose you don't remember me, neither. The name's Shanks. Red-Haired Shanks."

Then Rasha's eyes lit up with revelation. "Shanks-? I remember you now!"

He grinned. "I knew you would. Now, tell me how you've been...and how you ended up here."

Rasha told him everything that had happened over the last seven years; from how she'd gotten on this ship to how she'd fallen in love with an eighteen-year-old man, three years older than she.

Shanks laughed at this. "Ah, love is a funny thing." Then he sobered. "Wait a minute...that man, wasn't he the one who got kicked off the edge by an officer?"

Rasha bowed her head.

"Ah, well, all's well must end well, I suppose."

Then she looked up. "'All's well must end well...it didn't end well. Does that mean what we had wasn't...wasn't..."

"Oh now, Rasha, you know I didn't mean it that way, but...you shouldn't be wasting your time with pirates."

Rasha gave a dry laugh. "How can you say that, when you're a pirate yourself?"

Shanks smiled. "Well, I was never in love, now was I?"

He then stood up. "Well, we'd best be returning you to your godparents. I daresay they've been worried sick about you."

She nodded and followed him onto another ship. As it sailed away, Rasha watched the other ships get smaller and smaller, until they finally disappeared over the horizon.

* * *

Author's Note: So...anyone wanna take a stab at whether or not Danton is truly dead? I'm not saying anything...you'll just have to wait. R&R plz! 


	3. The Straw Hat Pirates

Author's Note: Here's the next chapter; pretty long, huh:) This is when the Straw Hats (finally) come into play. I've revised this chapter due to a couple pointers that were brought to light to me by a reader. Hope this one is better. Enjoy!

* * *

It was a clear, sunny day. Seventeen-year-old Rasha Natsuki was sitting on the edge of the boat, daydreaming. Out here, there wasn't much to do but daydream, she concluded.

She was on a large sailboat with her godparents, celebrating their fiftiest anniversary. Dinner was in a few hours, so Rasha decided to do absolutely nothing until then.

The boat sailed slowly along the waves; Rasha imagined it as a toy boat floating in a bathtub. The waves crashed along its edges, making it rock gently.

Rasha sighed and grinned. Today was such a beautiful day.

Then she saw something over the horizon; it was a ship.

A pirate ship.

_Pirates!_ she thought, standing up. Having been a pirate for the last several years, Rasha wasn't sure whether to be alarmed or ecstatic. She squinted against the blinding sun to get a better look.

The ship had huge, white sails; but it was what was _on_ the sails that interested Rasha. As she looked closer, she saw that the design was that of a skull with a straw hat.

_How strange,_ she thought. _I've never seen _that_ flag before._

But as she was leaning forward to examine the strange ship, she lost her footing and tumbled over the side of the boat!

"Aaaaaaaagh!" she screamed, but realized with a sinking feeling that no one could hear her. They were all inside.

Rasha hit the cold water as if it was a sheet of ice; she opened her eyes, ignoring the sting of saltwater, and tried to move, but remembered that she had eaten a Cursed Fruit. Holding her breath, she found herself floating towards the surface, and gasped for air as her head broke the surface. All she could do now was pray that someone would find her.

The minutes went by, and Rasha realized with dismay that her godparents' boat was sailing away; she attempted to shout out to get someone's attention, but the cold of the water was constricting her lungs, and she couldn't tread water to keep herself warm. She couldn't move at all; now she just had to keep air in her lungs to keep her afloat long enough for someone to rescue her.

Eventually, Rasha's body couldn't take the cold anymore, and she felt herself losing conciousness...

Monkey D. Luffy sat in the crow's nest of his ship, the Going Merry, shading his eyes from the sun with his hand. He peered out over the horizon, searching for other ships or land, but this area of the sea was empty.

Suddenly, he spotted something floating in the water near his ship. Looking closer, he realized that it was a person!

"Zolo!" he shouted, swinging down from the crow's nest and landing swiftly on deck next to his swordsman. "I saw something; out in the water!"

"What is it?" he asked boredly. Roronoa Zolo was leaning against one of the sail poles, arms folded, and staring at the sky.

"A girl!" exclaimed Luffy, bouncing on his heels. "There's a girl floating in the water!"

Zolo slowly lowered his head to look at his captain, a crease of doubt forming on his forehead. "Let's see it, then."

He followed Luffy to the edge of the ship and looked down. Sure enough, there was an unconcious girl floating helplessing in the water.

"Geez!" he yelped. "She must be freezing!" He grabbed a rope and threw it overboard, holding onto the other end. He then handed it to Luffy.

"Here, hold this," he instructed. "_Tight_."

Zolo stepped over the side and climbed down the rope towards the waves. He dropped down into the water, still holding the rope, and swam over to the girl, grabbing her with his free arm.

"Okay, I gotter!" he sputtered. Luffy watched apprehensively as Zolo climbed back up to the deck, the girl on his shoulder, and sodden wet.

Luffy took the girl in his arms as Yumi helped dry Zolo off and lay her down on a blanket Nami had brought out.

"Is she...alive?" Luffy asked Chopper, the doctor, who had just appeared when he'd heard the commotion.

"Yeah, I believe so," he replied, checking the girl's pulse. "She's just unconcious, and really cold."

Sure enough, the stranger began to shiver furiously. Luffy sat down and held her in an attempt to warm her.

Finally, she stopped shivering and opened her eyes. She blinked a few times.

"H-hello," she coughed, choking on seawater. Luffy thumped her on the back, which made her bright green eyes widen with shock.

"Thanks," she muttered, brushing her wet brown hair out of her face.

"No problem," replied Luffy.

"And you, for rescuing me," she added to Zolo, who had joined the crew surrounding the girl.

"How'd you know it was Zolo who saved you?" asked Usopp, somewhat suspiciously.

The girl smiled. "He's the only one who's wet."

Nami had to laugh at that remark.

"So, uh..." said Luffy, examining her, "who are you?"

"My name is Rasha," she answered. "I live in Eleubergia with my godparents; I was actually on a sailboat with them before I fell into the water."

"Why'd you fall?" Luffy wanted to know.

"_Luffy!_" hissed Nami disapprovingly.

But Rasha laughed. To Luffy, it sounded like tinkling bells. "I was actually admiring a pirate ship; I was just so curious that I fell over the side...what was that design on the sails-? Oh, I remember...the design was a skull with a straw hat!"

Luffy and his crew exchanged glances.

"What?" asked Rasha. She then looked up. On the largest sail was a skull with a straw hat.

When she looked back down, her eyebrows were raised. "Wow."

"Yeah, we're the Straw Hat pirate crew," supplied Luffy. "The name's Luffy. Monkey D. Luffy."

He then pointed to Zolo. "That's Zolo, our swordsman; and that's Nami, the navigator; that's Usopp, the marksman; that's Sanji, the chef; that's Verity, the musician; that's Chopper, the doctor; that's Yumi, the swordswoman; and that's Nico Robin, or Miss Sunday."

Rasha smiled warmly. "It's nice to meet you all." Then she looked at Luffy. "The way you said your name...you reminded me of someone very special to me...he actually saved me from near-death."

"Who's that?" inquired Luffy.

"'Red-Haired' Shanks. Ever heard of him?"

"Heard of him!" exclaimed Luffy incredolously. "He's my biggest idol; I wanna be just like him!" He then pointed to his Straw Hat. "This is actually his hat. It was a gift; he told me to return it when I became a great pirate like him."

"Yes, I think I do remember him wearing that very same Hat," she replied.

She then looked at the rest of the crew. "I want to thank you all again; how can I ever repay you all for your kindness?"

"Well," said Nami thoughtfully, "I think one million berries should cover it."

"One _million_ berries!?" exclaimed Rasha incredolously.

"Oh, don't listen to her," said Luffy. "I was thinkin' maybe...you could serve on this crew?"

"...For how long?"

"Um...how about...minimum two years."

Rasha didn't answer right away. "A...pirate?"

"Well, yeah," said Luffy. "What's so bad about pirates?"

The rest of the crew rolled their eyes.

"Nothing, nothing, "said Rasha hastily. "It's just that...I've had a few rough experiences with pirates. I was kidnapped for seven years by a crew led by a Captain Tarin, who, it turns out, also murdered my parents. So I'm not really in a rush to become a pirate right now..."

"But we're not like those pirates!" protested Luffy. "We're not mean and nasty; well, most of us, anyway. But the point is, we're not like most pirates. All we're after is One Piece!"

Rasha looked up at him. "You're looking for One Piece? Gold Roger's treasure? That's...wow."

"But pleeeeeeease will you join our crew?" begged Luffy.

Rasha looked at the rest of the crew. They stared at her expectantly.

She sighed. "Okay."

"Yippee!" cheered Luffy, jumping up and down.

"Luffy, would you quit it?" said Zolo irritably. "Get a sense of maturity!"

"Quit!" exclaimed Luffy incredolously. "I don't know the meaning of the word 'quit'!"

"Wouldn't it be easier just to tell me the words you _do_ know the meaning of?" he replied, rolling his eyes.

Rasha laughed. Luffy was right. These weren't your everyday pirates.

Then Nico Robin came over to her. "C'mon, hone. Let's get you cleaned up."

Rasha stood up and followed the pretty dark-haired woman into a nearby room.

Zolo looked at Luffy. "Luffy, are you feeling okay?"

"I've seen her before..." he said, slightly dazed.

"It took you this long to realize it?" scoffed Zolo. They ignored him.

"What do you mean?" asked Usopp.

"When we were in Roguetown that second time...she helped me beat Buggy again."

Nami shook her head. "There's no way it could have been her, Luffy. That girl ate the cursed Flash-Flash fruit. And besides, if it was really Rasha, don't you think she would have said something by now?"

"I guess so," said Luffy. "But she looks just like her..."

(flashback- yay!!)

"Any last words, Straw Hat?" sneered Buggy the Clown. He had Luffy stuck in the gallows, again, where Gold Roger had been executed.

Luffy thought for a moment. "Wait, this is for real?!"

"Well, it's no joke!"

Suddenly, a girl with long brown hair came running below. Luffy spotted her and yelled, "Hey! You, down there! Ya gonna help me or what?!"

The girl ignored him. "Let him go, you big bully!" she yelled, shooting a blast of green light from a peculiar-looking pole at Buggy.

"Hey! What're you- AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!" Her arrow hit Buggy square in the chest; he fell off the tall platform and landed on the ground with an ear-shattering WHAM. The girl winced, then raised the pole into the air. A cloud zoomed down from the sky; she climbed aboard it and sailed up to the platform.

When her feet touched the ground and the cloud flew away, Luffy exclaimed, "Hey, thanks! But he's not dead yet, so I'll have to finish him off...would ya mind letting me out of this thing, please?"

She stared at him for a few seconds. "You're welcome, and I'll try to let you out."

As she was trying to unlatch the hook, Luffy asked, "Say, who are you, anyway?"

She glanced at him. "I'm a pirate, if that's what you mean."

"Actually, I wanted to know your name. But...who's crew're you on?"

She finally unlatched it. "My name's Rasha, and I'm from Tarin's crew. Now, are we gonna defeat Buggy, or just sit around and chat?"

Luffy grinned. "I like the way you think!"

Rasha raised the pole into the air again. Luffy noticed that it was green, and had small lightning bolts on either end. The cloud came down again, and Rasha rode down to the ground on it.

"Hey, what about me-!"

"You can find your own way down!" she yelled up at him. Luffy groaned.

The dust finally cleared and Buggy emerged, looking livid. "You'll pay for this, my dear...you've messed with the wrong pirate!"

Suddenly, there was a huge explosion; dust and debri flew everywhere as the platform was crumbling downward!

Rashia realized that Luffy was up there; and also, that she didn't yet know his name.

"Uh, STRAW HAT! WHOEVER YOU ARE!"

She closed her eyes and ducked as pieces of wood flew past her head; she heard the platform fall with a loud BANG, and decided to wait until the dust cleared again before opening them.

Rasha had to blink a few times before her eyes moistured enough from the dust. She remembered that Buggy had been standing right near the platform.

Then, all of a sudden, Luffy emerged from the pile, laughing.

"That was AWESOME!" he shouted, howling his head off.

Rasha ran up to him. "Are you alright?"

"Yep! That was so cool! You should try it sometime!"

"No, I don't think I will. Listen, you won't tell anybody about this, will you?"

"What?" asked Luffy, sobering at once.

"That I helped you."

"Oh, that. Sure. It'll be our secret."

Rasha sighed. "Thanks. That would be the last thing I need, for my crew members to find out I helped another pirate with a higher bounty."

"How'd you know about my bounty?"

She pointed to a building nearby. Hundreds of wanted posters were tacked onto its walls, and about fifty percent of them had Luffy's grinning face on them.

"So...what's your name?" Rasha wanted to know.

"Luffy. Monkey D. Luffy. Says so on that poster."

"Oh, right," said Rasha hastily. "So what's your crew called?"

"We're the Straw Hat pirates. And I'm the captain!"

Rasha cocked her head to one side. "Really? You're the captain?"

He puffed out his chest importantly. "Yep, and I'm gonna find One Piece and be King of the Pirates!"

"'King of the Pirates'? Is that why you're here? Because I heard some of my crewmates saying that this town it where Gold Roger was killed."

"Yeah, that's why we're here. And to refill on supplies. 'Cuz then we're goin' to the Grand Line!"

"Well, good luck with that. I heard that the Grand Line is really dangerous."

Luffy nodded as Rasha looked up at the sky. He then peered behind her.

"Hey, what's that?" he asked, pointing to her pole, which she had stuck through her belt loop behind her.

"Oh, this?" She held the pole in her hands; it started to glow. "It's called a Weather Beam; you can control the weather aorund you with it, summon clouds, and shoot lightning from either end. It's really cool to use."

"Awesome! Where'd ya get it?"

"Actually..." Her eyes darted about, as if checking for eavesdroppers. "I ate a Cursed Fruit."

Luffy looked at her excitedly. "Really? Me too! Watch this-" He stretched his arm over to the meat stand, grabbed a chicken wing, and brought it back, munching contently. He swallowed. "I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, and now I'm a Rubber Man!"

"Gum-Gum Fruit, huh?" said Rasha, her green eyes shining. "I ate the Flash-Flash Fruit, and now I'm a Weather Girl!"

They grinned at each other.

"Say, Rasha, how would you like to join _my_ crew?"

Rasha blushed. "Well, thanks for the offer, but I don't think so-"

But Luffy wasn't listening. "You could be the ship's markswoman...or the weather person..."

"Um, Luffy-"

"We have lots of fun on the ship! You just _have_ to join!"

"I-"

"We have a chef," Luffy counted off his fingers, "a swordsman and woman, a navigator, a marksman, a doctor, a musician..."

"LUFFY!"

"Hm?"

"I would love to join you crew, but...I already have a crew. I think. I never actually joined them, you see, but they keep such a tight hold on me, it's a miracle I'm here right now."

Luffy gave her a sad look. "That's a shame. You'd be free on my crew."

Rasha sighed. "I'm sorry, Luffy. I really am. But I promise you, we'll meet up again someday. And when we do, I'll join your crew."

Luffy opened his mouth to object, but Rasha was gone.

(aw, end flashback)

"Luffy. Luffy. LUFFY!"

Luffy jerked his head up. He hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep, remembering that day...

Suddenly, Rasha emerged from the room. When she had first come onto the ship, she was wearing jeans, a pink collared shirt, and black boots. Now, she looked totally different. Robin had cut off part of the jeans so that Rasha was now wearing shorts; the sleeves were ripped off of the shirt and was tied right under her breasts; her wrists were adorned with a bracelet and a sweatband, and her hair had been pulled back into a braid. Her boots remained the same.

"So, whaddya think?" asked Rasha, twirling around. "Robin did a nice job, huh?"

"Wow," said Luffy, Zolo, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper in unison.

"It looks nice," said Yumi politely; she and Robin were in a bit of a feud.

Luffy nodded; now she looked exactly like that girl he had met so long ago. "Rasha? Have you ever been to Roguetown?"

Rashia stopped twirling to stare at him. Then her face lit up with revelation. "You're the one I helped that day!"

"Yep! And you kept your promise! You joined the crew!" exclaimed Luffy, a little hysterically.

The rest of the crew looked at each other, confused.

Then he froze. "Then...you have the power of-"

"...Deep meditation skills! Yep, I can really get into meditating! Sometimes, you can't even wake me up!" she said quickly, glaring at Luffy. The crew looked at each other and raised their eyebrows, impressed. Luffy, however, looked confused.

The crew went back to their normal business. Rasha ran over to Luffy.

"Luffy, please don't tell them about my powers. Please," she begged.

"But why not? They deserve to know," he protested.

"Yeah, I know, but I don't want them to think I'm dangerous or something. Because I am, and I...just don't tell them, okay? I'll tell them myself soon, as soon as I get my powers under control, I promise."

Luffy nodded, somewhat reluctantly.

Rasha grinned, satisfied. "Okay, then. Let's go swing on the ropes. I'll race ya!"

They spent the rest of the afternoon jumping from rope to rope, yelling their heads off, and irritating the entire crew, which Rasha found to be very fun, indeed.

* * *

Author's Note: I think I might do a bit more chapters on the Going Merry, but be prepared for some on-land adventures. R&R! 


	4. A Brief Rejoice

Author's Note: This chapter has quite a bit of romance and a bit of jealousy between Luffy, Rasha, and ?? Who could it be that's tearing them apart? Read and find out!

* * *

The days went by; then weeks soon turned to months. Before she knew it, Rasha had been a member of the Straw Hat pirate crew for a year. Her term was half-way over, and Rasha felt as if she would never want to leave.

Rasha made friends with all the crewmates. She became especially close with Luffy, whose haapy-go-lucky nature corresponded well with her personality. But then, one day, something happened that may have changed Rasha's mind about her captain.

Verity and Luffy sat on the edge of the boat, fishing poles in hand. The 'fishing poles' were actually two of Zolo's swords (which they had taken without the consent or knowing of the owner) with string on the tips and bait on the string.

Rasha came up behind them, put her arms around Luffy's neck, and rested her head on his shoulder. "How's the fishing coming along?" she asked curiously.

Luffy pouted. "Not so good," he replied, wiggling the 'rod' a bit, as if to speed up the process.

Suddenly, Verity felt a tug on her's. As Luffy and Rasha watched with interest, Verity expertly pulled the 'pole' up and flopped the fish into her bucket, which was almost full.

Luffy, looking disdainfully at his empty bucket, remarked, "How d'you do that, Verity?"

Verity smirked. "Well, I use proper bait, for one thing." She gestured to the box of shrimp she had 'obtained' from Sanji.

"But I used bait, too!" protested Luffy; he lifted his rod, and tied to the end of the string was...a tennis ball.

"Luffy," said Rasha in mock disapproval as Verity laughed, "fish don't eat tennis balls!"

"Hey, ya never know," he pointed out. "There are some pretty weird fish out there."

"He does have a point," remarked Verity, remembering the 'Mr. 2 incident'.

"Of course I do," he said proudly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'ma catch me some fish."

He threw the string and the tennis ball back in the water and waited patiently for something to happen. Rasha and Verity looked at each other and tried their best not to laugh.

"Oh, Luffy," said Rasha, shaking her head. "You and your pride."

But, to their (even Luffy's) astonishment, his 'rod' gave a great tug. Rasha let go of his neck and tried to help him pull it out. With Verity's help, they managed to force the line back up to the ship. But what was clinging onto the tennis ball was not what any of them expected; it was a man, with long, shaggy blond hair and clear blue eyes. He coughed up saltwater until Luffy slapped him on the back.

"Thanks," he choked.

By now the entire crew had joined Verity, Rasha and Luffy around the man, all with curious looks on their faces.

Once he had gotten his breathing under control, the man spoke. "I'm so sorry to intrude like this, but...I be a pirate as well, so don't you worry 'bout me reporting ye to the officials or sumthin'..."

"How did you know we were pirates?" asked Zolo suspiciously.

The man pointed to the Jolly Roger flag, which was flapping wildly in the wind.

"Anyway..." he continued, scratching his head absent-mindly, "Me crew thinks I be dead; but I be on a quest, a quest to find the girl of me dreams.

"Y'see, I knew 'er a long while back. She was on our ship for a couple of years; as beautiful as the day is long. I loved her like nothing else.

"But then one day, the navy came an' took 'er...I never saw 'er again. I'd promised her that everything'll be alright, and she promised that we'll meet up again someday. Her name was-"

His eyes widened as he noticed Rasha, who had appeared beside Nami.

"-Rasha!" he exclaimed, getting up.

Rasha gasped. "Danton?!"

He came closer to her. "Aye, it be me. Oh, I missed you so much..."

He took her face in his hands and kissed her fully on the lips. Everyone raised their eyebrows and looked at Luffy, whose expression was unreadable.

Danton let go of her. Luffy blinked a few times. "Woah."

"Uh, Luffy," said Robin, nudging him. "Aren't you going to do anything?"

"Um," he stated, still in shock. "You there, leave the ship...or something..."

Rasha rolled her eyes and turned to Danton. "Come on, Danton. We have a lot of catching up to do." She led him away to a spot far away from everyone else.

Nami made a sound in her throat that sounded like an irritated sigh, grabbed Luffy's hand, and led him into the kitchen.

"Hello?" She waved her hand in front of his face. "What is _wrong_ with you? That guy just kissed Rasha! _Kissed_ her!"

"Gah" was the reply.

"Luffy, snap out of it! I'm trying to help you here!"

"Then why don't _you_ go out there and get rid of him, Nami?" said Luffy, his eyebrows raised.

"Luffy, that makes no sense whatsoever." She stood next to him by the sink. "Are we maybe a bit...oh, I don't know...jealous?"

"Me?" he asked incredolously. "Of that slimeball? No way, not me, nuh-uh!"

Nami sighed, smiling slightly. "Oh, Luffy, you and your pride."

"Why does everybody say that to me!?" he wailed.

"Because it's true," replied Nami calmly. "You're too proud to admit anything, even what you feel for Rasha.

"It's so obvious that you two like each other. Why don't you just tell her how you feel?"

Luffy glanced at her, then back at the sink. "It's not that simple," he mumbled.

"No, Luffy, you're making it difficult. And I know you're a bit...immature to know how to feel that way about someone, but..." She looked out the window at Danton and Rasha, who were laughing. "But if you don't tell her soon, that other guy is going to take your place in Rasha's heart."

A sudden flashback ran through Luffy's mind.

..._"The wind reminds us that change is on it's way," said Rasha, her eyes closed as her hair rustled in the soft wind. "Some say it's the snow, or even the rain...but I've always believed that it is the wind that brings change." Then she looked at Luffy, her green eyes glowing in the night. "Even when change does come, nothing will ever take your place, Luffy. Always remember that."..._

"Hey, Luffy! You alive?" Nami waved her hand in front of his face.

He blinked. "Yeah..." Tilting his hat slightly, he said, "What should I do, Nami?"

"What do you mean, what should you do?" she said incredolously. "Go and get her, you idiot!"

She pushed him out of the kitchen. He paused and looked helplessly at Nami. She gave him a thumbs-up. He sighed, and walked towards Rasha and Danton.

As he approached, Luffy could hear a bit of their conversation.

"...and he kicked me off the boat," Danton was saying. "Well, you saw it, righ'? You were there, I remember now. Oh, it's been so long."

He leaned in to kiss her again, but Rasha turned away.

"Listen, Danton, I loved you. A lot. But that was a long time ago. I've moved on, just like I promised you that day."

He bowed his head and nodded. "Aye, I understand. You've found a new beau who'll make ye laugh, eh?"

She nodded. Luffy felt his heart soar past his Adam's apple.

"'Scuse me fer pryin', but..." He grinned slightly. "Is it that boy with the straw hat?"

Rasha blushed. "Maybe..." she said evasively.

"'Cause he certainly didn't seem happy when you stuck up fer me," he continued. "Or...well, frankly, I'm not really sure what he was feelin'. Dazed, maybe."

"Yeah," she replied, looking thoughtfully at the setting sun.

Luffy, not wanting to be seen, hid behind a pole as Danton stood up. "Well, I'd best be askin' that green-haired fellow if he can lend me a boat. I want to make it to dry land before it gets too dark."

"You'd better hurry, then," said Rasha, pointing to the horizon.

He took her hand and kissed it. "Farewell, me dear Rashia."

He left. Luffy, seeing his chance, stepped out from behind the pole and sat down next to Rasha.

As soon as she noticed him, she started. "Luffy, I'm so sorry, I-" she began, but Luffy put his finger to her lips.

"It'll be okay," he said quietly. "Everything's gonna be okay, I promise."

* * *

Author's Note: Haha! So, those of you who thought Danton wasn't really dead, good for you! As for the rest of you, make better predictions! Jk. Anyways, R&R plz! 


	5. Jealous Girl

Author's Note: Well, here's the next chapter. Here's what its about: Nami is becoming jealous of what Luffy and Rasha have together. (But why?) And to what lengths will she go to stop it?

I used a song in this chapter: "My Hero Is You" by Hayden Pannetiere.

* * *

Nami leaned back in her chair. She was currently in the kitchen, watching with interest as her captain gorged himself.

"Luffy, are you finished yet?" she asked boredly. "You've been eating non-stop for over fifteen minutes!"

Luffy paused for a second. "You gotta pwabwum wif dat?" he asked, his mouth full with food.

"Yeah, I do." She took a sip of lemonade. "And your manners. We'll have to work on that."

Luffy waved his hand as if to dismiss her. "No need, Rasha's got it covered. She's teaching me how to dance, too. 'Cuz I dance like a klutz."

Nami's smiled faded. "Oh, is she now?"

She then leaned forward slightly. "Luffy, I need to tell you something."

Luffy looked at her expectantly, but continued to eat.

"I feel like we-"

"Oh, Luffy!" Rasha came bounding into the kitchen. "Oh, hey Nami."

Nami blinked a few times. "Rasha."

"So, Luffy," said Rasha cheerfully, "You ready for your dance lesson?"

Luffy swallowed. "You bet!" He pushed the rest of the food aside and stood up. "Let's go!"

As they were walking out the kitchen door, Luffy stopped and turned around.

"What is it you wanted to tell me, Nami?"

Nami looked up sadly. "Nothing; it's not important now."

Luffy paused for a second, then shrugged and followed Rasha.

Nami sighed and leaned back in the chair once again. What was wrong with her?

_Why should _I _care if he's spending more time with Rasha?_ she asked herself. _It's not my problem if he's found a new best friend._

Or was it?

"I knew him first," she said under her breath. "And now that she's come along, he's totally dropped me. I never did anything wrong!"

_The way he looks at her…the way he drops everything for her, and how he always pays attention to her…why can't he ever do that for _me

Then Nami shook her head. _Wait, what am I thinking?! I'm not _jealous_ of Rasha!_

_Right?_

_You know I try to be _

_All that I can _

_But there's a part of me _

_I still don't understand _

_Why do I only see _

_What I don't have _

_When my reality _

_Is things are not that bad _

_Your faith has shown me that _

_When my world goes crazy _

_You won't let go _

_When the ground gets shaky _

_You give me hope _

_When I try to push you away _

_You never move, yeah _

_Now when I start doubting _

_You help me see _

_There's a strength, and a mind, and a power in me _

_Oh believe me there ain't nothing I can't do _

_My hero is you, yeah _

_My hero is you _

_I never saw the way _

_You sacrificed _

_Who knew the price you paid _

_How can I make it right _

_I know I've gotta try _

_When my world goes crazy _

_You won't let go _

_When the ground gets shaky _

_You give me hope _

_When I try to push you away _

_You never move, yeah _

_Now when I start doubting _

_You help me see _

_There's a strength, and a mind, and a power in me _

_You believe there ain't nothing I can't do _

_My hero is you, yeah _

_My hero is you _

_And I hope that you can see _

_You're everything that I wanna be, ooh _

_When my world goes crazy _

_You won't let go _

_When the ground gets shaky _

_You give me hope _

_When I try to push you away _

_You never move, yeah _

_Now when I start doubting _

_You help me see _

_There's a strength, and a mind, and a power in me _

_Oh believe me there ain't nothing I can't do _

_My hero is you, yeah _

_My hero is you _

_My hero is you_

Now Nami lay flat on her back on the upper deck. She was pretending that she was asleep, but she was actually eavesdropping on the 'Dance Lesson' below.

"Nami?"

She lifted her head, and, squinting into the sunlight, realized that it was only Zolo.

"What are you doing?"

"Napping," she answered, rested her head back on the wood.

"Why here?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Oh, don't tell me _you've_ never randomly fallen asleep somewhere. You're one to talk."

"Yeah, I am one to talk," answered Zolo, sitting down next to her. "To talk about what's wrong. You okay?"

"Uh, yeah, why?"

"'Cuz you've been pretty quiet lately. And...well, you've been kinda bitter towards Rasha."

"I have not!" she protested, even though, she had to admit, she _was_.

Zolo gave her a skeptical look. "Tell me what's wrong."

Nami knew she couldn't talk her way out of this one; Zolo knew her too well. "Okay, fine," she said, sitting up. "Ever since Rasha's come here, Luffy's been totally different. He's been spending all of his time with _her._"

"That's no excuse to hate Rasha," he said disapprovingly.

"I don't _hate_ her," retorted Nami, "I'm just not happy with her right now, that's all."

"Does she know that?"

"Well, no-"

"But?"

"But what? You want me to tell her? To just go up to her and say, "Oh, Rasha, I'm a little upset 'cause you're stealing my friend away from me.""

"Exactly."

"What!?"

"Tell her how you really feel. Believe me, I know she'll take it well. I've gone to her about my problems a couple times. She's like a...therapist."

"Oh, a therapist," said Nami disgustedly. "Another ability that _perfect Rasha_ has. Great."

"Nami, what's the problem? You were never like this when she first came on the ship!"

Nami sighed. "I dunno. I guess I'm just je- I'm just je-"

"Jealous?"

"Yeah, that too."

"What I don't understand, Nami," remarked Zolo, "is why you're suddenly hating her. I mean, wasn't it _you_ who told Luffy to tell Rasha how he felt about her?"

Nami didn't answer right away. "Yeah, I guess," she mumbled. "But he never told her."

"That's true...Nami, you and I both know that Luffy's too immature to feel strongly for anyone, even Rasha. You have nothing to worry about."

"You don't know how he is on the inside, Zolo."

"Neither do you. And," he added, laughing, "I'm sure he's no different there, either."

"I guess."

"But, back to my other question. Why've you suddenly changed you view of Rasha? A while ago, you were pushing them together, and now you're pushing them apart."

Nami sighed again. "Well, I guess that now I've realized how great everything was before Rasha came along. And I can't help thinking that she's hiding something."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I don't know what, but I know there's _something_."

"So you don't trust her."

Nami didn't answer.

"Or should I say, you don't trust her with Luffy."

Still no answer.

"Well, Nami," said Zolo, standing up, "I'll leave you alone for now. But I think Luffy should really know about this."

He left. Nami sank back onto the wood and closed her eyes.

"I've tried," she whispered. "He doesn't care enough to listen to me."

Later that day, tense feelings were brewing on the ship. Nami and Rasha, both of their expressions unreadable, were being confronted by the rest of the crew, fronted by Luffy.

"Now, what is the problem?" he wanted to know.

"Nothing," they said in unison.

But it certainly wasn't nothing. Luffy and Zolo had recently walked in on Rasha and Nami, who had been heatedly arguing.

"Sooo...we were just _imagining_ the yelling," said Zolo sceptically.

"Yeah," agreed Usopp. "What the heck is going on between you two lately?"

They glanced sheepishly at each other, then began to talk at once.

"I feel like- I didn't know she- She was stealing my friend- I didn't mean to- She never acted like-"

"Guys, guys!" said Luffy, waving his hands exasperatedly. "I mean one at a time!"

So Nami explained how she felt as though Rasha was perhaps spending too much time with Luffy, and that she, Nami, rarely had the chance to even talk to him. Then Rasha countered with the fact that she had no idea that Nami felt this way and thay she, Nami, should have said something earlier.

"So...how should we resolve this?" Luffy wanted to know.

No one said anything.

"Nami, what do you want to do about this?" asked Zolo.

Nami opened her mouth to speak, but then realized that she didn't know what she wanted.

But after considering, she finally said, "Okay, fine. It's either me, or her. There's not enough room for the both of us on this crew."

"That's a bit selfish, Nami," commented Rasha dryly.

"Well, you're one to talk," she countered, "hogging Luffy to yourself."

Zolo cleared his throat. "Anyway...do we all agree with Nami's proposal?"

Everyone glanced around nervously.

"Well, how about this," said Luffy. "Both of them leave!"

"WHAT!"

"Yeah, that'll work. Okay, you two are both suspended from the crew."

"LUFFY!"

"Okay, no yelling in the Captain's ear, please..."

"YOU IDIOT!"

"I SAID NO YELLING!"

There was a brief pause.

"Well," said Rasha uncomfortably, "Captain's orders. We've got to leave, Nami. Now."

Nami nodded sulkily and followed Rasha to the edge of the ship, where, with the both of them pulling on the rope, they lowered a small boat into the water.

"Well, goodbye, everyone," said Rasha, waving pleasantly.

"'Bye," muttered Nami.

"Wait, Rasha," said Yumi, stepping forward. She tossed a small object to her and winked.

Rasha looked at her palm. Yumi had given her a small silver whistle. She winked back.

"Goodbye," mumbled the rest of the crew.

Then they jumped down into the boat.

"Land is that way," said Nami. "But it'll take us forever to row."

Rasha grinned. "Not if you have the proper engine." She put the whistle to her lips and drew several sharp blows.

Suddenly, a dolphin appeared out of nowhere. Rasha grinned and petted the dolphin's head.

"This whistle calls a very special dolphin," explained Rasha, holding up the whistle. "Yumi showed me once."

Nami tied a rope that was lying in the bottom of the boat around the dolphin's dorsel fin, and the other end to the boat itself. They sat in an awkward sillence as the dolphin pulled them along the choppy seas.

"LUFFY! WHAT THE HECK WERE YOU THINKING?"

Luffy was being cornered by an angry crew.

"YOUR STUPIDITY COST US OUR NAVIGATOR AND WEATHER...GIRL!" shouted Usopp, pertrubed.

"What are we going to do?" Chopper wanted to know. "They're probably half-way to shore by now!"

"We'll just have to catch up to them, then," said Yumi, turning around and walking up the stairs to the top deck.

"Hey, what are you doing?" asked Luffy as Yumi put her hands on the wheel. "I'm Captain of this ship!"

"Well, you're obviously not acting like one." She gave the wheel a tug, and the boat swerved to the left. "Someone's going to have to take control of this ship, and if you're not going to, then I will."

Luffy pouted and hurried after her. He grabbed the wheel and glared at Yumi.

"I'll drive, thank you very much," he stated, sticking his tongue out.

Yumi rolled her eyes. "I don't think that's a very good idea."

"Let me drive!" protested Luffy, tugging on the wheel.

"No!" said Yumi, tugging it her way.

"I'm Captain!"

"Too bad!"

"I can drive!"

"No, you can't!"

"Neither can you!"

"How do you know?!"

"...That's not the point! NOW LET ME DRIVE!"

"NO!"

"Oh no," muttered Zolo, shaking his head.

"Guys, stop fighting!" wailed Verity, waving her arms.

"Uh, guys?" said Sanji, pointing ahead of them. The entire crew turned slowly to look where he was pointing.

They were heading towards shore at top speed!

It was then that all hell broke loose: Luffy and Yumi tugged back and forth on the wheel again, making the boat swerve uncontrolably; Verity and Chopper began to scream and run aorund in circles; Zolo and Sanji jumped off of the boat and began to swim towards the shore in an attempt to stop the ship before it crashed; Nico Robin, using her Cursed Fruit power, performed her Sixteen Floret in attempt to grab hold of the elusive Verity and Chopper; and in the midst of everything, no one had noticed that Nami and Rasha were safely on shore, shaking their heads in astonishment...

Then the boat began to vibrate. "What's happening?" Usopp wanted to know, clinging to a pole.

"The water's too shallow here!" shouted Yumi, pushing Luffy away and taking the wheel. "We have to move it out now or we'll be marooned-"

There was a loud screeching sound from under the boat.

"Great," she said, slumping. "Just great. We're stuck."

"And that's not all," said Robin, who had just come up from below the ship after a few seconds. "There's an enormous hole down there, and there's water and sand everywhere! We'll never be able to leave!"

The rest of the crew jumped down from the boat and splashed their way over to shore, where Zolo, Sanji, Nami, and Rasha stood with their arms crossed.

"Do any of you know how to drive a boat?!" Nami wanted to know. "You have to use special measures when coming to shore!"

"That's what I was _trying_ to do," said Yumi, "but _Luffy_ here kept trying to take the wheel!"

Nami's eyes widened. "Oh, don't let _him_ drive the boat. You'll end up half-way across the ocean!"

Luffy's eyes narrowed. "You know what, Nami-"

"Ahem!" said Rasha. "Luffy! I believe there's something you need to say to us?"

Luffy looked at them both with puppy eyes. "PLEASE come back on the crew!" he begged.

Nami and Rasha grinned at each other. "Okay," they said in unison.

"Great!" said Usopp happily. "Now we have our navigator and weather...moderator back!"

Then Rasha turned to Nami. "Nami, I'm sorry I hurt you. I didn't know you and Luffy were so close."

Nami fidgeted. "Yeah, and I'm sorry for getting so bitter. I should have told you sooner."

Rasha smiled. "Friends?"

Nami grinned back. "Friends." They hugged.

"Well, now that that's all settled," said Luffy, looking around, "where are we?"

* * *

Author's Note: Haha, cliffie! Sorry, but I just couldn't resist. Anyways, next chapter coming...soon, I think. We'll see. I have a report for English due on Tuesday, and I'm choosing my course selections for 9th grade now, so...I'll try. 


	6. Amarante's Calling

Author's Note: Well, I managed. XD Can you guess where they landed? It has something to do with Rasha...which is no surprise, really, 'cuz the story's called The Chronicles Of Rasha. And...someone from Rasha's past comes back, wih a vengeance. But I haven't mentioned her AT ALL in the story yet, so don't go looking for her name or something. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

"Where are we?" asked Luffy as the Straw Hat crew walked along the beach.

"We heard you the first time, Luffy," said Zolo boredly.

"Well then, answer my question!"

"I don't know, okay!?" He kicked a random pebble and watched it bounce into the shallow water. "It's your fault we're in this mess, anyway."

Luffy stopped. "Why do you always have to do that, Zolo?" he wanted to know. "Why do you always have to stick up for Yumi?"

Zolo opened his mouth to retaliate, but Nami cut him off.

"That's not important right now," she said. "We have to figure where we _are_."

"Well, you're the navigator, you tell me," said Usopp accusedly.

Nami sighed. "That...I'm not sure of."

Then she turned to Rasha, who had a faraway look in her eyes. "Do you have any idea where we are, Rasha?"

"Huh?" said Rasha, coming back into reality. "Oh, no, not at all..."

The crew turned and looked suspiciously at her.

"Well, this place is strangely familiar," she admitted. "I must have come here on vacation with my godparents, or something."

"Hm, well, that doesn't help us much," stated Luffy. "I wonder if we went into the woods..."

"Are you kidding, Luffy?" said Sanji incredolously. "We'll get lost in there!"

"Hold on, Sanji," said Zolo, examining the woods. "I think Luffy's onto something."

"I am?"

"Yeah. We obviously can't get anywhere by wandering around on the shore. Maybe the forest will lead us to a town."

"Hm," said Yumi, considering. "Zolo's right, guys. If we go now, we can probably get to a nearby town by sunset, and then find a place to stay for the night."

The rest of the crew nodded in assent. They walked cautiously into an clearing in the trees, brushing aside the hanging greens and ivy.

_Wonderful_, thought Rasha glumly as they stepped over tree roots and miscellaneous branches and rocks. _Now they're all gonna know my secret. But...I guess they were gonna find out sooner or later._

She turned, hearing a faint rustle in a nearby bush. A pair of eyes stared back at her through the leaves; Rasha drew a sharp breath, turned back, and kept walking, eager to get out of the woods as soon as possible.

After a while of walking, the crew finally reached a clearing. But what was beyond it made Rasha's breath fall short.

It was a ghost town. Houses and fields had been destroyed, the doors swinging on their hinges. Ripped curtains inside the houses ruffled in the slight breeze.

"It looks like a ghost town," said Robin, staring around in wonder.

"Yeah," agreed Sanji. "I wonder what happened here."

The crew walked slowly throughout the broken homes, seeing no trace of civilization whatsoever. There were broken pots and baskets scattered about the ground. Up ahead, there was a lonely apple cart, its contents wrinkled with age.

"I'm hungry," moaned Luffy. He then noticed the apple cart. "FOOD!"

Luffy took off, sprinting towards the food.

"He's gonna run into that apple cart!'' exclaimed Sanji.

"C'mon, man, he's not _that_ stupid," said Zolo; Sanji gave him a meaningful look.

CRASH.

"But I've been wrong before," he admitted.

Luffy's head appeared behind the disheveled apple cart. "Aw, this stuff's rotten!" He sauntered sadly back to the group. They shook their heads and continued to walk.

The crew then found themselves on the outskirts of town, the forest to their right, and empty fields to their left.

"So...where are we?" Yumi wanted to know.

"I know exactly where we are," said Rasha firmly, pointing ahead. "We're in the kingdom of Caleria."

Sure enough, atop a large hill sat a humungous Castle. The crew all turned to look at her, their eyebrows raised suspiciously, but Rasha began to walk forward at a fast pace.

"So you _have_ been here before!" exclaimed Luffy, hurrying to catch up to his friend.

Rasha didn't answer right away. "You could say that," she said, slightly evasively. But Luffy paid no mind.

Unfortunately, the Castle's exterior looked no different than the town itself; in total ruins.

The crew began to walk slowly towards the front doors, but Rasha stopped and stared up in wonder.

_So this is it,_ she thought. _This is my home._

Luffy stopped and turned around. "Rasha, c'mon! Let's go explore this place!"

Rasha looked back down, nodded, and hurried after her friends.

Despite the ruins of the outside of the Castle, the interior looked untouched. They entered the massive Entrance Hall with an air of suspicion.

As the crew stepped cautiously up the staircase, a large door ahead of them opened automatically. They glanced at each other, then entered the room beyond the door.

When little Chopper had entered the room last, the door shut with a bang; they all jumped in surprise.

"So nice of you to visit, Princess."

Rasha spun around to face the other side of the room. There sat two thrones, and a figure sat in the one on the left. Upon stepping forward, Rasha realized that it was a woman.

"Who- who are you?" she demanded, her voice shaking.

The woman stood; Rasha took a step backward. "Why, Amarante, I would have thought that you would have remembered me! But...it has been so long, hasn't it, since we last crossed paths..."

The woman began to walk slowly towards them. She was wearing a long black dress with a hooded cape. As she took off her hood, her long black hair swished out behind her. Her face was sunken in, and she faintly resembled a living zombie.

"_Amarante!?_" the rest of the crew said in unison.

"Who's Amarante?" asked Luffy. "This is Rasha!"

A strange smile formed on the woman's dry, cracked lips. "Ah...so you haven't told them yet, have you, dear? I can see why that would be a problem...you didn't want them to know the truth about you, did you?"

Rasha gulped silently. _Here it comes..._

"But...perhaps it is better if you tell them yourself."

Rasha sighed and bowed her head. "There's nothing to say."

"Oh, I think there is. They don't know that you're really Amarante, crown princess of Caleria, now do they?"

Rasha heard muttering and whispering of the crew behind her.

"You still don't know who I am, do you?" The woman stepped closer. "You don't remember me, Amarante dear?"

"It's _Rasha_ now," mumbled Rasha fiercely, "and how would I remember you? I only lived in this Castle for a year or so."

"You mean you don't remember your Aunt Coran? Your _dear_ father's sister? Denied of the Caleria throne because I was but a woman?" Coran narrowed her evil eyes. "You look just like your mother, Keaira. She was just as bad as Aidan. Just as strange, just as abnormal...it's no wonder I finally find you with a worthless gang of pirates."

Rasha wasn't quite sure what to say.

"That's how they died, you know," Coran continued, examining her scruffy nails. "Pirates attacked this Castle. Total surprise; Keaira and Aidan never saw it coming. They were looking for a map...a map to some wonderful treasure. It wasn't here, of course...but since it was a castle, well, enough said."

"Wait a minute," said Rasha, glancing around. "This is _my_ castle?"

"Your castle?!" Coran cackled shrilly. _"Your_ castle?! Just because you're the crown Princess, it doesn't mean everything belongs to _you_. The _crown_ belongs to you. But the Castle and everything in it belongs to _me_. Including," she took another step forward, "the crown Princess herself."

Rasha's eyes widened. "You mean...you have complete control over me?"

"Yes. You see, I decide whether you leave with this gang or stay with me forever. I decide where you sleep, what you do, and what you eat. And, I decide whether you live...or _die_."

Rasha narrowed her eyes. "And why is that?"

Coran waved her thin hand in the air, and a piece of parchment appeared. "This...is your mother and father's will. It is a legal document, you see, and since I am the only living relative of your _dear_ father, I am entitled to almost _everything_."

"But I'm the daughter!"

"Yes, but you are but a minor! You cannot possibly run a kingdom on your own!"

"I am eighteen years old! I was considered an adult two years ago!"

Coran's smiled faded slightly. "Are you that old?"

_There's something fishy going on here_, thought Zolo. _If Rasha's parents didn't know that they were going to die, why did they write a will?_

"Legal issues!" she laughed, a little hysterically. "Pain, aren't they?"

Rasha glared at her. Then Coran straightened, a malicious look in her red eyes.

"You and your little possi better have a good look around," she boomed, "because this Hall is the last thing you'll ever see!"

* * *

Author's Note: Haha, another cliffie! Sorry. Couldn't resist. Well, R&R plz, as always! 


	7. The Battle For Everything

Author's Note: This is when someone very important to Rasha finally comes into play. Can you guess who it is? Remember this as you read: "Things are not always as they seem."

Btw, you might want to read my part of the profile ('cuz I'm always updating it), to keep up-to-date about all my stories. There's gonna be a ton more; a couple Rashas and some others. But for right now, I'm writing as quickly as possible (without losing focus on the storyline) while keeping up with my schoolwork. Hopefully, I'll have this story finished by the beginning of summer or sooner, so then I have three months to write my other stuff. I promise yous: you will not be disappointed!

* * *

A few miles off the shore of an island, a large ship sailed quietly, wishing not to be seen. Its sails billowed in the wind, and on the flag was the design of a blue "X".

A woman stood on the upper deck, her brown hair blowing out behind her. She had large blue eyes, a pale complexion, and her hair was about medium length; not too long, not too short. She wore a yellow, blue, red, and white striped skirt and a red halter top, and black boots on her feet. Her expression was unreadable, but she continued to stare at the island with a faraway look in her eyes.

"She must be there," the woman said quietly to herself. "They're telling me that she's there."

The lieutenant of the ship came up behind her, carrying a shawl, and wrapped it tightly around her shoulders.

"You must be cold, darling," he said, rubbing her arms in attempts to make her warmer. "The cold will not help the baby, you know."

She let a small smile escape her lips. "Yes, you're right, Jaidyn. Well, once we get onto land over there, I'll put on some warmer clothes."

The lieutenant chuckled as he placed his hand on his wife's stomach, with protruded quite a bit. "You really need to stop worrying about that sister of yours and start worrying about your and the baby's health. You'll catch colds easily out on the sea."

The woman sighed. "I suppose."

"Come inside, Kirklynn, dear."

"In a moment."

"Alright. But hurry." He left.

Kirklynn's eyes traveled along the shoreline until they rested on a harbored ship. Upon further examination, she noticed that it was a marooned pirate ship; one that had sails with the design of a skull with a Straw Hat.

"Yes," whispered Kirklynn, a strange smile forming on her lips. "She is definitely here."

Kirklynn strode alongside her husband as they walked through the forest, towards the town that was supposedly on the other side.

"Why are we on this island again?" Lieutenant Jaidyn asked his wife.

"My sister is here," answered Kirklynn simply. "They are telling me that the Princess has returned, and so has my sister."

Jaidyn nodded; enough said.

There was a rustle in a bush next to Kirklynn; turning slightly, she noticed a pair of red eyes staring back at her. She shivered and moved closer to Jaidyn.

At last the Navy crew appeared on the other side of the dense forest, brushing the miscellaneous leaves off of their tidy white suits. Kirklynn took one good look at the town before them.

"A ghost town," she said softly, shaking her head. "What has fate done to you, Caleria?"

"Oh no," muttered Rasha, backing up towards the door as her crewmates did the same.

They watched in horror as Rasha's Aunt Coran rose slowly into the air, her black dress expanding at the bottom. Her limbs, head and torso seemed to inflate; she was beginning to look more and more like a giant, dark balloon every second.

"Since you've been absent, a lot of things have changed, Amarante dear," she said; every word she uttered echoed off the Castle walls and seemed to make the ground shake. "I've devoured the Cursed Fonce-Fonce Fruit: giving me the power of darkness. And since I've been your replacement for all this time, well, the power of Caleria's crown has only strengthened my abilities!"

Without warning, a huge thorned branch rose up from the ground and grabbed Rasha. It squeezed her tightly, leaving her suspended in the air.

"RASHA!" shouted Luffy, but to no avail; the plant only squeezed her more tightly.

Cackling, Coran began to rise higher in the air, until her over-sized head was touching the ceiling. Below her, another thorned plant began to grow up from the ground; but this wasn't only a branch. It was a bud; and when it opened, the crew realized that it was a giant mutant Venus FlyTrap!

"Oh, great!" shouted Chopper, after he had morphed into his larger size. "I'm allergic to those things!"

The battle soon commenced.

Robin used her Cursed Fruit power to perform her 'Sixteen Floret', which appeared all around the plant to distract it; Zolo jumped onto the plant, and then jumped up again, slashing the plant that was suffocating Rasha with one of his swords; Luffy inflated like a balloon and Rasha landed on his stomach, then returned to normal size and helped Rasha up, who was holding her head and gasping for air; Yumi was busy slashing the branches that were growing out of the ground with her two swords, while Nami did the same with her pikestaff to the branches that were already grown; Usopp, after searching for rubble rocks on the floor, was shooting the rocks with his slingshots at various places on the plant; Chopper was leaping off the walls, slashing the plant with is claws as he passed it; and Sanji flipped around, standing on his hands and kicking the plant in various spots while Verity threw her daggers at it.

Rasha reached into her pocket to retrieve the small ball that would turn into her Weather Beam; but then she realized that no one else knew about her powers, with the exception of Luffy, who, she figured, had mostly likely forgotten about them by now. She was torn; with her powers still undeveloped, anything could happen, and Rasha did not want to risk it. On the other hand, how would the crew react to such uncontrolled power? She did not want to risk that either; but then, how could she fight?

Suddenly, everything came to a halt. The monstrous plant began to recede back into the ground, followed by Coran, who was grinning evilly.

"So, I see you all have defeated my FlyTrap," she said boredly. "Congratulations. I am most impressed with your teamwork. But...I wonder if you would be as victorious with only one of you fighting..."

She held up her hand, and everyone except Rasha were sent flying backwards. Rasha turned and looked over her shoulder. Behind her was a line of black fire, acting as a boundary.

"Let us see what the legendary Princess Amarante of Caleria has to show us," boomed Coran. "'The Princess who escaped it all'! Let's see if you can escape _me_!"

The black fire blossomed all around them; Coran began to deflate, and soon she was back at her normal size, but was still hovering in the air. She lifted her hand and shot a dark energy blast from her fingertips; Rasha dived out of the way as it hit the ground, and a miniature FlyTrap grew in its place.

Rasha, getting an idea, began running around Coran, dodging the blasts she shot.

"You can't run from me forever, your highness!" shouted Coran, shooting double the amount of blasts. "Unless you want to be a coward like your parents, of course!"

Rasha suddenly halted in her tracks. Coran stopped shooting, wondering why she had stopped. The crew stared at her in wonder.

Then her eyes began to glow bright green. She reached into her pocket and retrieved the ball, which morphed into her Beam, which also began to glow green. The sky above (for there was a large hole in the cieling made by Coran's previously gargantuan head) began to turn dark, and lighting flashed between them as thunder started to roar.

"My. Parents. Were. Not. COWARDS!" she screamed; a large blast of light erupted from her and her Beam and shot into the sky...the Straw Hat pirates shaded their eyes as the entire Hall turned green...

The Navy men and woman continued to walk through the ghost town, shaking their heads in dismay at the sight of all the ruins. In front of them, in the distance, stood a huge Castle, which was also in ruins.

Then something strange happened. The clouds above them grew dark and stormy, and thunder roared in the distance.

Suddenly, the Castle before them began to erupt with green light. The lightning became brighter and stronger as the thunder roared louder.

"Woah!" yepled one of the men. "What's going on up there!?"

"The Cursed Flash-Flash Fruit," answered another man. "But whomever has consumed it must not have developed it very much; they're out of control!"

"And whomever is in the Castle has gotta be dead by now; there's no way _anyone_ could survive a blast like _that_!" said a third in terror.

Kirklynn looked determindly at the Castle. "We need to go there now."

"What!?"

"She's in there." Her brow furrowed. "And I believe that she is the cause of that energy."

The Navy men glanced at each other nervously, including Jaidyn.

"It's much too dangerous up there, Miss," one said earnestly. "We'll all be killed!"

"Then I'll go up there myself," she replied, starting forward. But Jaidyn quickly grabbed her arm.

"No Kirklynn, the baby, you can't risk it!"

She stopped and sighed. "You're right. But I need to get up there, and _fast_."

There was a brief pause.

"Okay," the captain sighed. "We'll go."

They then quickly strode up the hill towards the Castle.

The Hall in the Castle was in mass chaos when they entered it. The light was continuing to blast from the center of the room, where a figure was in the middle of it all.

"What is going on here?!" shouted one of the Navy men. Jaidyn held his wife and they both crouched down.

The Straw Hat pirates turned to look at them. "We have no idea!" they shouted in unison.

Then Luffy had a sudden idea.

"Hey, maybe if I can go talk to her..." he said thoughtfully.

"Luffy!" shouted Zolo incredolously. "You can't! You'll get yourself killed!"

"Maybe not. It's worth a try!"

"Well, you go ahead and die, then!"

Luffy nodded. He crawled through the black flames (which had lost their power from the lack of source) and slowly made his way over to Rasha, who was crouched on the ground and doubled over, clutching her head.

"Rasha!" he shouted over the howling of the wind. His Straw Hat blew off of his head.

She looked up at him, her glowing eyes filled with tears. "Help me, Luffy..." she whispered, in a voice that was not her's.

"How?"

"I don't know..."

"Rasha, you have to know! You have to wake up!"

"I'm not asleep..."

Just then, a woman came crawling to Rasha's other side, holding her stomach while her hair whipped wildly around her face.

"Who're you?" Luffy wanted to know.

The woman ignored him. "Rasha, listen to me. Your parents were good, brave people. I've met them once; believe me, I know."

Rasha looked at her. "You've...met my parents? You...think they're...brave?"

"I _know_ they were brave. They were two of the kindest, most courageous people I've ever known."

The wind and green light began to die down significantly...

"Now, Rasha, you've got to try to wake up. You're in a catatonic state, and it's hurting the others."

"I'm...hurting my friends?"

"Yes; now you've got to try! Try to wake up! Try for your friends! Try!"

"Yeah, Rasha!" said Luffy. "Try!"

Rasha looked at them both. She then looked up, and a piercing scream escaped her lips.

Then...everything stopped.

The dark clouds faded away as the thunder quieted and the flashing lightning stopped, and the light disappated into the air.

"It worked!" exclaimed Luffy excitedly to the woman. She smiled warmly in return.

Then they both looked down at Rasha, who was lying unconcious on the ground.

"Is she...alive?" asked Yumi as the crew ventured over to the threesome.

Nami handed Luffy his Hat as Chopper examined Rasha.

"Oh yes, she's definitely _alive_. Just unconcious. I think she should wake up in a few minutes."

Luffy looked up at the strange woman. "So...who are you?"

The woman was about to answer, but was then distracted by Rasha waking.

"Yes, yes, that's right, nice and easy," she cooed, helping her sit up.

Rasha blinked a few times. "What happened?"

The crew exchanged glances. "That's what _we'd_ like to know," answered Usopp.

"I don't know. All I remember is getting really mad."

Then Verity explained the burst of energy and the strange weather. The remaining color in Rasha's face quickly drained as she listened.

"Oh no," she muttered. Then she turned to Luffy. "Don't you see, Luffy?"

"See what?"

"_This_ is why I didn't want to tell the crew about my powers. _This_ is what I meant by me being dangerous!"

Luffy shrugged. "So you've got a bad temper. That's not really a big deal."

"It doesn't just happen when I'm mad. It happens when I have so many mixed feelings that are all equally strong, and they just...overwhelm me. When Coran dissed my parents...I guess I felt so much anger and hate and sadness and love that I just sorta...exploded." Then she looked around. "Where _is_ Coran?"

"She kinda disappeared," said Yumi, looking around as well. "I guess those feelings were too much for _her_ as well."

"Wait," said Zolo, raising an eyebrow. "Wait just a minute. Where exactly did you get those weather powers?"

Rasha sighed. "I guess it's time you all knew the truth."

And so Rasha explained how she had been captured by pirates led by Captain Oro Tarin, who had previously killed her parents, and while on the ship, she devoured the Cursed Flash-Flash Fruit, giving her the so-called 'weather powers'. She then explained how these powers were greatly undeveloped, and as Rasha did not practice very often because she was trying to keep it all a secret, she did not have the control over them as she should, and that is what caused the outburst.

The crew nodded, mulling over her story.

"Then, I have only one question," said Zolo. He turned to the strange woman. "Who is she?"

The woman smiled. "I am Rasha's sister, Nojima Kirklynn."

"YOU HAVE A SISTER!?" the crew said incredolously in unison.

"Yes," replied Kirklynn, laughing lightly at their reaction. "I am the daughter of Rasha's godparents, Turie and Petra, who've adopted her."

Rasha turned to her sister, her eyes shining. "All this time...I thought I'd never see you again."

She laughed. "Me too. The Navy and I have been following you and your friends across the ocean, trying to catch up to you."

"The Navy-?"

The crew turned around slowly, expressions of worry forming on all of their faces.

"Don't worry, as long as you guys are with me, the Navy will never be able to arrest you all."

There were a few sighs of relief.  
"So...how about getting out of this place and back on the sea?" asked Nami.

The crew nodded, then looked at Rasha.

"Sure," she shrugged. "I can always come back here."

Luffy helped Rasha up as they exchanged goodbyes with Kirklynn, then walked out past the Navy and back towards shore.

Jaidyn strode over to his wife and put his arm around her. "You forgot to tell her that they're dead, didn't you?"

Kirklynn sighed. "I just don't think now is the right time to tell her. Maybe in a little while..."

* * *

Author's Note: I didn't specify who was dead for a special reason. Meaning that I'm gonna reveal it later on. You can probably guess, though, but...yeah. Well. I'll try to have next chapter up ASAP, kk? 


	8. What Dreams Are Made Of

Author's Note: Well, here's chapter 8. Here's what it's about.

* * *

Verity sat on the rail of the Going Merry, swinging her legs back and forth contently. She hummed to herself, sucking on a lollipop in her mouth. 

It was close to midnight. Verity assumed that she was the only one awake; the only one out here, staring at the stars.

But nevertheless, someone came up and sat next to her on the rail. With a quick glance, she realized that it was Rasha.

"Hey, Ver-Bear," teased Rasha. She looked upwards, the moon's light reflecting off of her pale face.

Verity groaned. "Why do you have to call me that!?" she wailed.

Rasha grinned. "Because I feel like it." Then her face became serious. "I wonder why Nami was so jealous a few weeks ago. It was kinda..wierd."

Verity shrugged. "I guess. But I can't say I didn't see it coming."

Rasha turned abruptly. "What do you mean?"

Verity raised her eyebrows. "No one ever told you?"

She blinked. "No."

"_I _never told you?"

"No."

"You didn't _know_?"

"No_."_ Rasha was beginning to feel more stupid by the second.

"Well, before I came on the crew, she and Luffy kinda had a...thing going on. They were like, best friends, but secretly liked each other; kinda like you and him are now. We all knew about it, and they'd hang out together all the time. But now that you've showed up, Luffy's been spending all his time with you."

Rasha did not know quite how to respond to this.

"Frankly, I like him better with you. Nami's a bit too...pushy, in my opinion at least." Then she hopped off of the rail and yawned. "Well, I'm going to bed. Sweet dreams."

And she turned and left, leaving Rasha to mull over her thoughts.

-

The sounds of yelling and shooting filled Rasha's ears as she awoke the next morning. She yawned and stretched her arms, looking around the room.

Then she gasped. This was not her room.

It was a fairly large room; with pink walls, pink carpet, and every child's toy imaginable littered all over the floor. Atop a large vanity table sat a sparkling crown.

Rasha glanced around, wondering where in the world she was. It took her a few moments to realize that this was not her bed, either. It was a crib. Made of gold. She felt the fabric beneath her; velvet.

_What the heck is going on here!?_ she thought desperately. She tried to shout out for help, but all that escaped from her lips was an infant's cry.

Suddenly, the noise stopped. Hearing footsteps, Rasha grabbed her blanket and ducked under it, lifting a bit to see what was going on.

Then her pink door opened with a bang.

"It's not here, Cap'n," said one man as he and his companion stormed into her room. "The map isn't here; we checked everywhere."

A man, apparently the Captain, sighed with frustration. "It's got to be somewhere, Goshiki! We can't just give up; this is _One Piece_ we're talking about! Ultimate riches!"

His cold eyes scanned the room. They landed on the glittering crown. "Aha," he said softly. "So this is Princess Amarante's room."

The man named Goshiki gulped. "Cap'n...you're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"

A greedy expression flooded the Captain's face.

"But, Cap'n...she's just a baby!"

"_And_ the heir to Caleria's riches!" The Captain strode over to the crib; Rasha tried to remain as quiet as possible. "Goshiki...do you realize how much this girl is worth?"

He gulped again. "A lot," he answered lamely.

The Captain made a noise that sounded like "Tcha!". "Are you kidding? She's worth millions, even billions, of beri!" He reached his grubby hands down towards the blanket in the crib, but halted when a man entered the room.

"Captain, there's a boat coming into harbor," he said breathlessly. "We've got to leave, now!"

"Be it the Navy?" he wanted to know.

"Um, well, no."

"Well then, why do we need to worry, Kujake?"

"I, well..."

"IF IT AIN'T THE NAVY, WE NEEDN'T WORRY OURSELVES!" he thundered.

Kujake shrunk back in terror. "Y-yes, you're absolutely right, Captain..."

"Well then, if it ain't the Navy, then who is it?" the Captain pondered, looking out the window to his left.

"Cap'n, Kujake's right," piped up Goshiki. "We really should be gettin' back to the ship."

The Captain turned slowly to look at them. "And who be mindin' the boat while we were gone?"

Kujake and Goshiki exchanged worried glances.

"I thought you said Masi was coverin' it..."

"Well, he was supposed to," said Kujake hurriedly, seemingly glad to place the blame on someone else. "But I don't know if he still is. Mind you, it's a fairly large boat."

The Captain nodded slowly. "Alright."

As the two men walked out, he lingered by Rasha's crib. "Someday, you'll be on my crew. Someday, girl, you'll make me rich."

And he walked out without a second glance.

Rasha sighed, relieved. He was gone.

-

In what seemed like a few hours later, Rasha heard the door open again.

"Oh, Turie, _there_ she is!" A woman came running into the room, closely followed by a man, evidently her husband. She bent over the crib and scooped Rasha up, cradling her in her arms.

"Oh, Amarante, I'm so glad you're alive!"

The man cleared his throat. "Petra, dear, let's go back home. Everyone's dead."

The kind-looking woman nodded. "You're right. Is Kirklynn still on the boat?"

"Yes."

"Well then, sweetie," she said to Rasha, "let's take you to a nice home, _away_ from pirates."

Petra carried Rasha out the door, down the stairwell, and to outside. They walked down to the shore below the Castle, where a small boat was tethered to the dock.

Feeling suddenly tired, Rasha yawned, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

* * *

Author's Note: This is part of a bigger part, if that makes sense. In other words, this is only one of the dreams. Remember, the ship is still stuck in Caleria...maybe that has something to do with these dreams. Maybe not. More to come soon! 


	9. A Midspring Day's Dream

Author's Note: Sorry this took me so long. I had a bit of writer's block at the beginning, but once I got an idea, I just couldn't stop writing!

* * *

Rasha awoke with a start. She blinked a few times; instinctively, she lit the candle on the table beside her.

She was laying under a simple blanket in a simple bed, in a simple room. Her simple bed was in the corner of the simple room, and to the right of her was a simple end table, with the wax candle burning intently. There was a wooden bureau across from her simple bed, a closet, and a pretty rug lay on the floor. Rasha cocked her head to the side and examined the rug. It was the design of a white seagull, flying freely among the clouds above the waves of an endless sea.

Curious, Rasha turned and peered out the small window behind her. The sun was just rising; Rasha watched as it's rays slowly rose over the horizon, painting the surface of the sea with dashes of orange. If the sun was only rising, realized Rasha, then it must be morning.

_But how?_ she thought confusedly. _It was nearing nighttime right before I woke up. _

Rasha was jerked out of her thoughts when she heard a shout come from below.

"Rasha!" came a woman's voice. "Hurry up, or you'll be late for school!"

_School?_ thought Rasha as she hopped out of bed and opened the top drawer of her bureau. _Since when do I go to school?_

She pondered this as she slipped out of her nightgown and into a knee-length skirt and a simple white shirt with black Mary Janes. She pondered this as she fixed her hair and washed her face in the bathroom across the hall. She pondered this as she stepped carefully down the winding stairwell and into the kitchen, where three people were seated.

"Well now, there's our angel," said the woman, apparently the one who had called her name earlier. She stood up and gave her a small hug. "Would you like some breakfast, sweetheart?"

Rasha nodded numbly. Who were these people?

She followed the woman into a seat at the table, and was immediately presented with a plateful of pancakes.

"Eat up, sweetie," she said, pouring maple syrup all over the cakes. Rasha grimaced. She hated syrup. She watched the sticky brown liquid slither down the cakes and form a puddle on the plate. "Thanks."

With a smile, the woman sat back down in the chair across the table from Rasha. When she started eating her pancakes, Rasha attempted to scrape off the syrup, with a specious guile.

"Hey, mom," said the girl sitting on one side of the woman, "guess what we're learning about now in school?"

"What's that?"

"Castles and kingdoms."

The man, on the other side of the mother, raised his eyebrows. "Really? That's interesting."

"Yeah. Right now, we're reading this book about a kingdom called Caleria."

The man and the woman froze. They stared at each other and gave the slightest of glances towards Rasha, who was busy eating her pancakes.

"Caleria?" said the man, picking up his water glass and taking a small sip.

"Yes. It's really very interesting. According to the book, it was ruled by the beautiful Princess Keaira, and her true love, Prince Aiden. The kingdom lived in peace, and was rumored to have a magic spell protecting it from danger and harm.

"But then," she continued dramatically, "pirates attacked Caleria and its big Castle. They left the place in ruins, searching for a map to some treasure called One Piece." (Rasha jabbed her fork into her last pancake.) "They killed everyone, including Keaira and Aidan, who were then the King and Queen. No one survived...except the little princess." The girl's clear blue eyes landed on Rasha. "Princess Amarante."

Rasha gulped down a piece of pancake (syrup-free).

She shook her head. "But the pirates left without ever finding the map. And...they left without ever knowing the location of the treasure room below the Castle."

Rasha dropped her fork in surprise. _Treasure room?_ she thought, intrigued. _That must be where Caleria's riches are kept!_

Then, with a sinking feeling, she realized that the room must have some kind of key. _But I'm the heir!_ she thought excitedly. _I must have some way to inside!_

"Rasha, dear, are you finished?" asked the woman kindly, touching her plate.

She nodded, allowing the woman to take her plate to the sink. After placing it in the sink, she went over to the girl and her father and took their plates as well.

"Well," said the man, standing up and walking towards the door, "I'm off to work. Have a good day, my dears."

"You too, honey," the woman said, handing him his briefcase and giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"'Bye," said Rasha and the other girl in unison. The girl stood up.

"I'm going to go and get my schoolbag," she announced at the foot of the stairs. She turned to Rasha. "Would you like me to fetch yours as well?"

Rasha nodded. The girl came back down with the bags swinging in her hand.

"Thanks," said Rasha, accepting her pink bag. She noticed that it was much smaller than the girl's.

"Well, goodbye, Mother," she said, kissing the woman on the cheek. She gestured for Rasha to follow.

"Goodbye...Mother," she said awkwardly as the woman swooped down for a kiss.

She followed the girl out the door and along the path that was their driveway. The weather was very nice today; clear blue skies as far as Rasha could see. Nothing could spoil this day.

She looked at the writing on her pink bag:

_Natsuki Rasha. Year 2._

_That means I'm seven years old,_ calculated Rasha. _But...how can that be? I'm seventeen!_

Then Rasha noticed some writing on the girl's large, heavy-looking blue bag.

_Natsuki Kirklynn. Year 10._

_Kirklynn!?_ thought Rasha in shock. _My sister!?_

It was then that Rasha realized that the strange people she had just eaten breakfast with were her family. Her godparents, Petra and Turie. Her sister, Kirklynn. It had taken her this long to realize it. What if it will take her that long to realize it in the future, when she has the chance to see them again? Even worse, will she ever have the chance to see them again in the future?

_Wait a second,_ thought Rasha, _that means Kirklynn is seventeen right now. But...she's twenty-eight! What is going on here!?_

As they reached a large building, apparently the school building, Rasha followed Kirklynn into the building.

"Well, have a nice day, then," said Kirklynn, waving to her as she began up the stairs.

"You too," squeaked Rasha; she realized with a pang that she did not remember how to navigate this building.

_If only Nami were here,_ thought Rasha. She laughed a little to herself.

Then she noticed a sign on the wall. It read:

_Early Start to Year 5: 1st floor_

_Year 6 to Year 8: 2nd floor_

_Year 9 to Year 12: 3rd floor_

Rasha sighed. _Okay,_ she thought, looking at her bag. _Year 2. I'm on the first floor, then._

She began walking down the hallway, reading the signs of each room as she passed. Finally, she came to one thats sign read _Year 2_.

_This is me, then_, she thought happily as she opened the door and walked down the mini hallway. The hall opened up into a bright room with many windows. There was a large desk in the corner next to a window, which, Rasha guessed, belonged to the teacher; the students' desks were scattered about the room, and about three large round tables sat in the back of the room, each laden with crafts, glue, and miscellaneous pairs of scissors. Students' art work were hung in various spots around the classroom, and the chalkboard nearest the door was clean and ready to be used.

Rasha turned. There were cubbies lined up on the wall to her left; she wandered along them, reading the names on the papers taped to the doors.

_Kikusui_

_Shiro_

_Bekko_

_Orengi_

_Rasha_

She stopped at her cubbie and opened the door. On the inside of the door were pictures of herself and other girls, evidently her friends. There was a shelf in the cubbie, so Rasha took her lunch out of her bag and placed it up on there. She retrieved the books from inside the bag, and placed the bag on the hook. She closed her cubbie door and found her desk.

When everyone was seated at their desks, the teacher rose from her desk and ventured to the front of the room, in front of the chalkboard, to address them.

"Good morning, class," she said kindly. She looked quite young; maybe only twenty-five, or twenty-six, twenty-seven at the most. Her red hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her thin bangs hung neatly on her forehead. She had kind blue eyes and her skin was slightly tanned. She wore a tight green shirt and a long white skirt, and her sandals were white with gold buckles.

"Good morning, Ms. Ochiba," the class chorused. Ms. Ochiba smiled.

"Well, we have about an hour before Science class, so why don't we get started on that spelling?"

Rasha and her classmates took out a fat workbook labeled 'Spelling'. She retrieved a pencil from her desk and waited for Ms. Ochiba's instructions.

The class repeated the words in unison as Ms. Ochiba announced them.

"Very good, class!" she said. "Now, I want you all to please turn to page 47 in your books."

The sound of rustling papers filled the room as the students opened their workbooks to the specified page.

"You may begin."

Ms. Ochiba walked around the room as they worked in the books, peering at their work and helping those who were having trouble. Rasha was finished before everyone else, so she raised her hand for Ms. Ochiba to check her work.

"That was quick!" remarked Ms. Ochiba, laughing lightly. After a moment of checking, she stood up and smiled. "Well done, Rasha," and walked away to check the others'.

Rasha smiled and sat back in her seat. What to do now? She looked around the room at her classmates.

The class was not very large; perhaps about fifteen students at the most. Eleubergia was not the biggest town on the sea. As she caught the eye of a girl with short red hair, she grinned and waved. Rasha waved back. She wasn't sure who she was, but she remembered seeing her in the pictures in her cubbie.

_She must be a friend of mine,_ thought Rasha. _I'll sit with her at lunch, then._

A bell from the hallway rung, and the students began to stand up and collect their books. Rasha followed them.

"Have a nice time in Science class!" called Ms. Ochiba cheerfully from her desk.

Rasha gave her a smile as she walked out the door. She followed the class outside.

As the class walked along a path to another building, the girl hurried up behind Rasha and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hi, Rasha!" she said eagerly.

"Hello," replied Rasha cheerfully. She stole a look at her friend's bag. It read _Ogawa Karasu. Year 2._

"So, Karasu," said Rasha, happier now that she knew the girl's name, "nice day, huh?"

"Yep, it is," she said, bouncing on her heels. Rasha inwardly laughed. This girl was so much like Luffy.

_Nothing can spoil this day, _thought Rasha cheerfully.

At the end of the day, a bell rung to dismiss the classes. After she had loaded her bag with the books from her cubbie, Rasha walked outside with Karasu. She was relieved to see Kirklynn waiting for her.

"Hey, Rasha," said Kirklynn as she approached. "how was your day?"

Rasha waved goodbye to Karasu, who had noticed her older sister standing under the pavillion. Kirklynn was the sunny type. "Good. You?"

"Ah, same old, same old." She chuckled as they began to walk back home. "When you get to be my age, everything kinda seems the same."

They walked in silence for a few moments. Then-

"Hey, listen, Mother wanted us to pick up a few things from the market," said Kirklynn, turning down a bigger path.

"Okay." Rasha followed her without question.

The market was busy today; probably because the schoolchildren had just gotten out of school and were stopping by for a snack.

"What did Mother need us to buy?" inquired Rasha, eying the fruit cart.

"Well..." Kirklynn looked slightly uneasy. "Just some meat and bread, and a pie for dessert tonight, but..."

"What's wrong?"

"Mother told me not to let you out of my sight, but if you got the bread and something you wanted and I got the meat and the pie, we could get home sooner."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," said Rasha. She was excited. She could finally walk around the market by herself!

"Well, okay," said Kirklynn, somewhat reluctantly, "but you know where to find me. And remember, don't talk to strangers. And scream if someone tries to hurt you. And-" But Rasha had already run off to the fruit stand. Kirklynn shook her head, smiling, and made her way over to the meat stand.

Rasha stood in front of the myriad of fruits. She loved apples. She loved pears. She even liked trickleberries, which many people disliked due to the rumors about them. Trickleberries got their name because when harvesters squeezed them by accident, they made a trickle of red juice on the hand, resembling a trickle of blood. Some Eleubergians even called them Vampire's Fruit, because of the blood resemblance.

She grabbed a bag from the bin on the shelf and loaded it up with apples and pears and trickleberries. Then some oranges for Petra, some strawberries for Kirklynn, and some blueberries for Turie. She paid the woman with her coins, then walked on to the dessert stand.

Suddenly, everyone in the market began screaming in terror. They dropped their bags and started running out of there. Rasha, afraid of getting trampled, dove behind the dessert stand and peeked through a crack in the wood.

_What in the world is going on here!?_ she thought frantically. Then she heard Kirklynn's voice calling her name.

"Rasha! Rasha, where are you!?"

_Oh no,_ she thought, her stomach falling like a rock. She stood up. Kirklynn was in the middle of the pathway, looking terrified.

Just then, men came tramping into the market. Kirklynn turned around, and tried to keep her face emotionless.

They stopped; a man stepped forward. He had on a large hat, which covered his eyes. His greasy black hair hung in his face, and he looked to be about 30 years old, if not older.

_Pirates!_ she thought with a jolt of terror.

The man lifted his hat and smiled evilly. "You," he said, pointing to Kirklynn. "I know you."

Kirklynn narrowed her eyes. "And I you."

He looked at her with a queer, soft smile on his lips and in his keen eyes. "Where is the princess, my dear?"

She straightened. Rasha was so proud of her sister, for standing up so well to these bullies. "I don't know what you're talking about, Captain Tarin. If you want the princess of Caleria, why aren't you in Caleria, then?"

Captain Tarin frowned slightly. "I don't need your smart-mouth, missy. All I need is the princess."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't know where she is at the moment."

"Well, that's not good enough, now is it, Kirklynn?"

He signaled to two of his crew members; they rushed forward and grabed Kirklynn by the arms. If Rasha was afraid before...well, you get the point.

"I'm not telling you where she is," said Kirklynn firmly.

He signaled again, and the two grimy men each pulled out a knife and held them both to her throat. Rasha had to cover her mouth in order to stay undetected.

"Where is the princess?" he asked, stepping forward.

"I'm not telling you-"

"WHERE IS THE PRINCESS?" he thundered.

Kirklynn was running out of options; Rasha could tell that much from her face. "I...I don't know." Defeated. Just like that. And there was nothing Rasha could do. Well, maybe there _was_ something.

"I see," said Captain Tarin, stroking his goatee thoughtfully. He motioned to the pirates. "Boys."

With a grin, they pressed the knives against her skin. A trickle of red liquid rolled down the blade.

"No!" shouted Rasha. She stood up. "Let her go; it's me you want."

The entire crew turned and looked at her. Rasha noticed that there was a girl about her age standing behind the captain.

"Aha," he said, a strange smile forming on his unshaven face. "So here's our pretty little princess."

"Rasha, don't," warned Kirklynn; the men only tightened their grip on her.

"Let her go," demanded Rasha, "and kill me instead."

"No!" shouted Kirklynn; she began struggling against the tightening grip. "Rasha, don't!"

The captain threw his head back and laughed. The crew followed. When he stopped; the crew did as well. "We don't want to _kill_ you," he said, wiping a tear from his eye from laughing so hard. "We just want _you_. To come with us."

"Very well," said Rasha. "As long as you release my sister, I'll do whatever you want."

Captain Tarin motioned for his men to let Kirklynn go; they did. "Rasha, no!" she shouted, being pushed out of the market by the men. "I'll never see you again!"

Rasha felt tears welling up in her eyes. "I know," she said softly. Her voice wavered. "But I have to, if it will save your life."

Kirklynn's eyes were full of sorrow. "I love you," she said, on the verge of tears.

"I love you too."

"I promise, I'll come looking for you. I'll find you. I promise!"

She was gone. Rasha sniffed back her tears and turned to the captain.

He looked bored. "Well, this is all very touching, but we really should be going."

Rasha said nothing.

He motioned to the girl that was around Rasha's age. She had dirty blond hair and wore a simple blue dress.

"Lock her up," he instructed sternly. "We don't want her to escape us again, now do we?"

The girl shook her head accordingly. She walked behind Rasha, keeping her eyes downcast. Rasha felt cold metal on her wrists and then heard a click; she tried to move her hands and realized that they were hand-cuffed together.

"Goshiki, lead her on," he comanded, and turned around and began to walk towars port. The others, including Rasha, followed.

Rasha looked over her shoulder at Eleubergia. This was probably the last time she would ever see it.

It was then that she realized what the last thing she had said to her godparents was.

_"'Bye."_

and

* * *

Author's Note: I modeled the school after my elementary school, except that it only had two floors in the main classroom building instead of three. Pre-school there was called Early Start, so that's where I got the name. I also modeled Rasha's Year 2 classroom after my second grade classroom. Lol. I guess it's true that memories never fade, eh? It's always good to incorporate your own life into your work; it just makes it seem all the more personal. Anyways, next chapter up soon!

Btw, can yous guess who the blond girl who handcuffed Rasha is? You'll find out soon; maybe next chapter, if I'm feeling nice. Heehee.


	10. Confessions Of A Captain

Author's Note: Well, here's a thought-provoking chapter. It explains more about the strange blond girl, but exactly who she is. Well...enjoy!

* * *

Rasha gasped and bolted upright in her bed. She blinked, staring around.

"Well, I see that yer finally awake," chuckled a man at the foot of her bed.

Rasha turned slowly to look at him. "I- what?"

"I've been watchin' ye sleep." He scooted up closer. "I had nothin' better to do, and the Captain wanted me te wake ye up, but there's no sense in ruining a good dream, now is there?"

Rasha shook her head and smiled. "No, I guess not."

They sat quietly for a few moments. Neither had very much to say. Then-

"Danton, tell me the story of how you ended up on this crew again," she said softly.

The man called Danton sighed. "Again?"

She nodded.

"Alright. Well, back when I was a youngin', see, me parents used to take me all over the world. I've been to at least twenty sumthin' countries and towns and kingdoms so far.

"But then one day," he continued dramatically, "we were on one of our trips, see. I was about...eh, about 14, I think. We were just sailin' along...when we suddenly sailed into a pirate fight. They were fightin' against the Navy, an' winnin'. Me dad used to be a Naval officer, so he decided to board the pirate ship and help the Navy beat 'em.

"Only then," he sighed, "one of the pirates stabbed him in the back when he wasn't lookin'. Didn't expect it at all; an' neither did me mom and me. We just sat there, all stunned like. I wanted to avenge me father, so I boarded the ship and fought the pirates. I gis they noticed how good I was at fightin', and mind you, I learned it all from me dad." He smiled proudly for a moment, then became serious again. "So they wanted to make me a part of their crew. I was only ten years old. When I turned 'em down, they took me hostage and threatened to kill me mother unless I joined. So, I had no choice but to join their blasted crew. I said a tearful goodbye to me mother, who was unwillin' to let me go, but I eventually reasoned with her. I've been here ever since."

Rasha didn't say anything at first. Even though she had heard this story many times before, it still hurt to hear it. And, a similar thing had happened to her.

"Well, at least you still have your mother," she said finally. "I don't even remember my real parents."

"Aye, that be true," he agreed, placing his arm kindly around her shoulder.

"You know, I've been having the strangest dreams lately," she said thoughtfully, relaxing in his arms.

"Really? What were they about?" That was what she liked about Danton so much, she realized. He was always genuinely concerned.

"Well, in one, I was a baby, and these pirates came and tried to kidnap me," she explained, trying to remember what had happened in her dream. "Then, these two nice people came and took me with them, after the pirates left."

Danton was hesitating; she could feel it in his chest. "...Really? That's an interesting dream."

"Yeah, it was." She squinted a bit, trying to picture the dream in her mind. "The Captain seemed oddly familiar, though. And there were two other men with him: Goshiki, and...Kujake."

A sudden jolt of revelation struck her like a flash of lightning. Kujake...that name sounded so familiar. Could the Kujake from the dream possibly be the same Kujake who was the father of the ship's twins, Koromo and Goromo?

"Kujake, huh?" said Danton, lifting his arm to scratch his head. "That's interesting."

Rasha didn't respond right away. _He knew all along_, she thought bitterly. _Danton knew how I ended up on this ship, and he never told me. He knows who I really am._

But, then again, did _she_ know who she really was? Did anyone, really?

"Were there any others?" he asked evasively.

"Yeah...the one I had last night. Before I woke up. I was in Eleubergia, going to school. After school, my sister Kirklynn and I went to the market. Then the same pirates who had tried to kidnap in the other dream held my sister hostage and threatened to kill her if I didn't join them. I had no choice but to say yes." She narrowed her eyebrows in suspicion. "Is that...true, Danton? Is that how I ended up here?"

Danton didn't answer right away. "Well, I guess I can't lie to ye, now can I? Yes, that is how you ended up here. I was...I was there when it happened."

"You were?"

"Yeah. I've been here three years longer than ye, remember?"

Just then, Rasha's bedroom door opened. The blond girl whom Rasha had seen in her dream was standing there, a blank expression on her face.

"Danton, sir?" she inquired, looking from Rasha to Danton.

"Yes?" answered Danton, leaving Rasha's side to stand up.

"Captain needs to see you," she said hurriedly. Danton nodded.

"Very well," he replied. He turned to Rasha. "Well, Rasha, you heard the gal. I'm going to go now; but I suggest you get dressed and get to work."

He left. The girl was about to hurry out as well, but Rasha stopped her.

"Wait a second."

The girl looked hesitant, but did not object. She stood expectantly, refusing to meet Rasha's eyes.

"What's your name again?" inquired Rasha, standing up.

"M-Momashi," the girl answered.

"Oh yeah, that's right." Rasha walked over to the closet and cautiously opened the doors. "I don't see you around the ship very often, Momashi. Tell me about yourself."

Momashi took a deep breath. "Well, my mother died when I was very young, and my father is the Captain of this ship."

"Really?" Rasha was genuinely interested. "Your father is Captain Tarin?"

Momashi looked almost ashamed by that comment. "Yes. But I don't remember my mother."

Rasha smiled to herself. "That's me as well. Well, sort of. Both of my parents were killed by pirates." She turned to Momashi. "Do you know how your mother died?"

Momashi shrugged. "Father told me she drowned, but I don't know if I believe that. Pirates are hard to trust."

Rasha nodded. That was true. Though the Straw Hats seemed trustworthy...

"So," said Momashi, seemingly more comfortable, "you don't remember your parents at all?"

"No," replied Rasha, picking out her clothes and sitting back down on the bed. She motioned for Momashi to join her. "Though I have been having the strangest dreams lately."

Momashi hesitated for a moment. "Is that so?" she asked politely.

"Yes. First I had a dream that I was a baby, and these pirates came and attacked the Castle. Then I was taken away by these nice people, and the other dream was about me going to school with my sister Kirklynn." She paused. "But do you know what was wierd about the first dream?"

"No, what?"

"One of the men was named Goshiki, and the other Kujake." She narrowed her eyebrows in thought. "And if I'm not mistaken, the father of Komoro and Gomoro has the same name."

"He died a few years ago," Momashi pointed out.

"Yes," replied Rasha, "and that's what's so mysterious about it. Do you think there's a...curse, or something?"

Momashi thought for a moment. "Goshiki _did_ die as well. But...if the curse is, well, in effect, then why isn't my father dead?"

"Hmm," murmured Rasha. "I don't know. I guess that's the question we have to find out."

Momashi nodded and said nothing more.

-

It was a foggy day out on the sea as Rasha opened her door and stepped onto the wooden surface of the ship. She strode past various crew members, who were hard at work, and gave them cheery waves. Komoro swung down from the crow's next, Goromo right on his heels. They were the ship's resident twins; sandy blond hair, freckly grins, and eyes as green as seaweed. Life was one big joke with those two around, and as such, they were two of Rasha's closest friends.

"Why, hullo, princess!" said Gomoro. "See you've finally woken up."

Komoro winked. "He's just pullin' yer leg. Want some breakfast? There's still some toast left in the galley...I think."

Gomoro burped loudly.

"Well, maybe not."

Rasha giggled. "I am hungry, but I need to see the Captain first."

They stepped aside. "Right this way, madam!"

She rolled her eyes as she walked past them, and opened the door next to the galley. She side-stepped Haijiro, who was washing the windows, and trotted down the staircase. Ahead was a stately looking wooden door. Rasha turned the knob and entered.

"What, no knock?" came a voice from behind the chair, which had its back to her.

"Hm," said Rasha breezily, placing her hands on the desk in front of the chair. "I need to talk to you, Captain."

He didn't turn around. "Very well."

"You didn't tell me that you had a daughter," she stated flatly.

The Captain hesitated for a moment. "Yes, well, Momashi was supposed to remain a secret."

"Why did you keep her a secret?"

"It was easier when no one knew. You cannot be both a father and a pirate. It is both demeaning and impractical to raise a daughter in such an environment."

"Then why didn't you just leave her with her mother, if you wanted the life of pirating so badly?"

"I did leave. I left when she was just a baby, because her mother did not want her involved with the pirate lifestyle. I sailed in to see her from time to time, and life was going quite well." He sighed. "But I just couldn't handle seeing her once in a while. I wanted to take her out to sea with me, her and her mother. But she wouldn't come. Said it was bad enough having a pirate as a husband. Unfortunatly, my wife died mysteriously. No one really knows how. I then had no choice but to take Momashi with me." He stood up and walked over to a photograph hanging on the wall. "Fleur was as beautiful as they come, if not more. I always called her my rose petal, and Momashi was my baby rose." He traced the outline of the photo lightly, a faraway look in his eyes. "I miss her so much. Wish she hadn't been so ashamed of me; maybe things could've turned out better."

Rasha chewed on her lower lip. So Momashi was a secret. "But...why was Momashi a secret? Why can't the crew know?"

The Captain's hand stopped tracing the photo, but he still did not turn around. "Goshiki was my right-hand man. So was Kujake, and they both knew. I told them because I knew they would still accept me as Captain, regardless of my family history. The others...I'm not really too sure about. I think Danton might know something, but I can trust him."

Rasha nodded. "But why was it so important to keep it a secret? What were you risking with them knowing?"

The Captain didn't answer right away. He grinned. "You know, you're a bit too nosy for fourteen years old, missy. Why don't you just go on upstairs and get yourself something to eat, now, eh?"

Rasha smiled. "Alright." She turned around and began to walk out of the room. As she reached the door and opened it, Captain Tarin spoke again.

"And, uh, Rasha?"

"Yes?"

"...It wasn't my fault."

Rasha nodded and closed the door.

-

Komoro sat in the crow's nest of the ship, a telescope glued to his left eye. There were clouds looming over the horizon. Dark clouds.

"Hey, Gomoro, come up here a sec," he shouted to his twin brother, who was fixing the roping on the sails.

Gomoro hopped into the nest and accepted the telescope that had been handed to him. He held it up to his eye and stared to where Komoro was pointing.

Komoro looked at his brother expectantly. "See 'em?"

"I sure do," said Gomoro grimly. He handed to telescope to Komoro, grabbed a rope, and swung down to the deck. Komoro followed.

"On deck all hands!" he shouted, pulling various ropes. "Everyone up! On deck all hands!"

Several crew members looked up from their work in puzzlement; the door banged open and more meembers came out, in cluding the Captain himself.

"What's going on?" he wanted to know.

Gomoro pointed to the mass of black clouds heading slowly towards them. "Storm clouds. And they look mighty heavy."

The ship was silent for a moment. "Well," said the Captain, looking each member in the eye, "you all know the drill."

Everyone began running in all directions; sails were tampered with and windows were sealed shut. Rasha joined Momashi at the front of the ship and put a blanket around her shivering shoulders.

"Thanks," she muttered, her teeth chattering.

"No problem," replied Rasha.

Suddenly, the ship jerked to the side; Rasha grabbed Momashi's hand to keep her from falling off the edge.

Rain began to pour from the sky; within minutes it was falling in sheets. Rasha could barely see her friend, who was standing right in front of her.

She heard a shout from the distance, but couldn't hear it from the wind and rain. They crouched down and huddled together, waiting desperately for someone to help them.

Then the ship jerked again; Rasha felt Momashi's hand leave hers. She stood up and squinted through the rain; she could see the dim outline of an island ahead.

"Momashi!" she shouted, leaning over as far as she could go without falling in. "Momashi, where are you?"

She could hear a shout, but it was too faint to know who it was coming from. Just then, she felt hands on her shoulders; turning around, she saw that they belonged to the Captain.

"Captain, Momashi's out there!" she shouted desperately.

"I know!" he shouted back. "There's nothing we can do now; we have to wait until the storm lets up!"

"No! We have to help her!"

"No, Rasha! Get inside!"

"Momashi!"

"I'll help her when the storm let's up, Rasha!"

A deafening roll of thunder halted their argument.

"Lightning! Get inside immediately, Rasha!"

Rasha obeyed; she knew perfectly well how dangerous lightning could be. She groped around on the wall until she felt a doorknob, turned it, and entered the room, where she waited for the horrible storm to end, and to perhaps the chance to see her friend again.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, anyone wanna take a stab at what happened to Momashi? You'll find out later on. :D Next chapter up ASAP; R&R s'il vous plait!

P.S. Oooo, time for another Rasha quiz!! (in case you haven't noticed yet, I'm making them for every five chapters) Visit my profile to take it.


	11. I'll Take You Back To The Start

Author's Note: Sorry this took me so long. I've quite busy lately; so many school projects! Aghh! Well, the year's almost over anyway, so no more! Yeeeesssssss! Anyways, here's a chapter on Verity; just what yous wanted, right? I'm writing the story this way on purpose. It's called _in medias res_, which is Latin for using flashbacks to tell a story. See, there's always a method for my madness:D

Oh, btw, the song I used in this chapter is "The Scientist" by Coldplay.

* * *

Sunlight was streaming through the windows as Rasha opened her eyes. She sat up and blinked a few times; glancing downwards, she realized that she was still in her normal clothes. Pink shirt, blue shorts. Her black knee-high boots were sitting next to the nightstand. Everything was as it should be. 

_Those dreams felt so real,_ thought Rasha as she got up and zipped up her boots. _Am I really back in the present, or is this yet another dream?_

She exited the room and looked up at the sails, which were whipping wildly in the wind. Same Straw Hat logo; she was back on the Going Merry.

_I need to find Verity,_ she found herself thinking. She stepped over a napping Zolo and trotted up the stairs to where Verity was seated on the rails. Verity turned her head as she approached.

"Oh, there you are, Rasha," she said, scooting over to make room for Rasha to sit. "We're almost done patching up the ship; we'll probably be able to set sail tomorrow, if the weather's okay."

"Oh, that's good," said Rasha. She gave a small smile.

Verity raised an eyebrow. "Hey, are you alright? You don't look so good."

"I've just been having some wierd dreams lately, that's all," replied Rasha.

"Oh?" said Verity. "Like what?"

Rasha told Verity everything about each dream, from the baby dream to the Captain's confessions. Verity looked a trifle uncomfortable.

"...Momashi, huh?"

"You know her?"

"Well, you could say that."

It was then that it finaly hit Rasha why Momashi seemed so significant.

"You're Momashi, aren't you?" she said softly.

Verity sighed. "Yeah, I am. Or, I _was_, rather. When I got thrown off the ship during that storm, I got washed up on a nearby island. My father, Captain Tarin, steered the ship as close as he could get to it, and he told me something. Something he never did that I'll never forget."

"What's that?"

Verity pursed her lips for a second, as if she had tasted something she disliked. "He told me that he would come back for me, no matter what. I really believed that nothing would keep him from his little girl." She sighed again. "I didn't want him in my life anymore. That's when I decided to change my identity, so that he could never find me. I made the name Verity from the word 'verify', which means truth. A word that my father never had in his vocabulary."

Rasha watched from the corner of her eye as tears began to form in Verity's sky-blue eyes.

"And here I am, more alone than I'll ever be." They began to fall down her pale cheek and drip drip dripped down her white polo shirt.

"Don't say that!" wailed Rasha, wiping Verity's eyes with her shirt. "You have friends who love you!"

A small smile flickered on Verity's tear-strained face. "'Friends who love me'? I'm just a member of a pirate crew, Rasha. That's all I'm ever going to be. I might as well face that."

Rasha lowered her head. "That may be true, but at least you have me and Yumi and the rest of the crew. We won't give you up without a fight."

Verity gave her a pure smile. "I know." They hugged. "I just wish I could somehow figure out who killed my mom."

"I'll help you," said Rasha determinedly. "I know how hard it is to not know how your parents were killed. I'm just glad I know who killed mine."

Verity let go of her and looked her straight in the eye. "Really? You do? Who was it, then?"

It was Rasha's turn to purse her lips distastefully. "It was your father and his crew. They've been lying to me all this time, but I've finally figured it out now."

Verity bowed her head. "How did you find out?"

"The dreams," replied Rasha simply. "It was like they were giving me clues or something."

"And uh, do you know _why_ you were having those dreams?"

"Well, no, that's what I've been trying to figure out."

Verity looked up at her. "It was me."

"What?"

"I'm the cause of those dreams. I've been giving them to you, so you can learn more about your past."

Rasha stared at her friend. "What do you mean? How can you _give_ me my own memories?"

"It's a special power I have," she replied, staring down at her hands.

"From a Cursed Fruit?"

Verity looked up at Rasha for a second, then back down. "Yeah, I guess so," she said, speaking more to her hands than to Rasha. "I showed you the memories because I kinda...need your help."

"With what?"

"Well, I kinda have this...yearning to find out who killed my mom, and punish him or her. It's the only way I'll be able to sleep at night again; and I thought that maybe you'd be able to help me figure it out."

"Of course!" exclaimed Rasha. "It'll be fun; like a mystery! We can be detectives!"

Verity raised an eyebrow. "...Yeah. Detectives, sure, whatever." She shook her head and chuckled at the silly grin on Rasha's face. "You're so much like Luffy, it's scary."

Rasha blushed and stood up. "Well, since we can't go anywhere right now, we can start with just information. What's the name of the town where your mom was murdered?"

"My hometown, Hariwake."

"Okay, then." Rasha trotted down the stairs to the lower deck and over to where Nami was pouring over her map.

"Hey, Nami, question," she said as she approached the navigator. She looked up as Verity came over as well.

"Shoot," she replied, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

"How long would it take to get to Hariwake?"

Nami looked at her map. "Hariwake? That's not very far from here, actually. You two could probably take the life boat and row there."

"It's that close?" said Verity, looking apprehensively at the horizon.

"Yup." Then she turned her head to look at them suspiciously. "Why do you need to go to Hariwake?"

"It's a long story," supplied Rasha feebly.

Nami folded up the map and stared at them patiently. "I have time."

So Rasha and Verity spilled about the dreams, the secrets, and a past so deep that even the sea couldn't wash it away.

"That's interesting," said Nami, her head resting on her hand. "So...you guys are going to try and find out who killed Verity's mother?"

"Pretty much, yeah," shrugged Verity. "We just need to get to Hariwake."

Nami grimaced. "Well, until we're done fixing the hole in the boat, we're not going anywhere. Unless you wanted to take the life boat and go yourselves."

Rasha and Verity glanced at each other, looking interested.

"And if that's the case," said Nami, placing the map into a bag and hoisted it on her shoulder, "then I'm coming with you."

"Count me in," came a voice from the kitchen. The door opened and Yumi emerged, a slight smile on her face.

"Okay, then," said Rasha resolutely. "We can all be detectives! This will be so fun!" Nami, Yumi, and Verity rolled their eyes.

As Nami stuffed some food from the kitchen and supplies from the bin into her bag, Yumi and Verity pulled the lifeboat up from the lower deck. Rasha informed Zolo of their plans.

"Okay, but be careful," he warned.

"We will," promised Rasha.

And without further ado, the foursome threw the boat overboard and climbed down into it. Verity and Yumi grabbed two oars; Rasha took off her boots and lay in the back, ready to act as an engine; and Nami sat in the front with the map.

"This is such a small boat," grumbled Verity, fidgeting.

"Well, it's the best we've got," replied Rasha, kicking furiously. She turned her head to watch the Going Merry get smaller and smaller away.

"Well, if we go past Caleria's port, we should be well on our way to Hariwake," said Nami, tracing a path on the map with her finger.

"So, what direction?" Yumi wanted to know.

"That way," instructed Nami, pointing to the west.

Rasha watched with interest as the trees on land floated by them as they rowed on. After what seemed like forever, they rowed into a small inlet that was surrounded by willow trees. It was very overgrown, and Rasha had a hard time seeing ahead of them.

"Well, according to the map, we're here," said Nami, stepping out of the tiny boat and onto the knee-high grass. "I guess it's down this...path. Somewhere. Wherever that is."

"That was kind of vague," said Yumi truthfully. Nami shrugged and helped the others out of the boat.

When everyone was on the grass, Verity grabbed a branch from a nearby tree, tied the boat's rope around it, and stuck the branch in the mud. She nodded to the others and they began to walk through the trees, following a vague dirt path. Little did they know, the rope holding the boat was slowly beginning to slacken...

-

Rasha was reminded of their recent trip to Caleria as they tore and ripped their way through the forest, ignoring the bleeding cuts on their cheeks and arms from the thorns on the branches. She paused for a moment to pick a flower that was blooming beneath a flowering branch. She examined it. Orange; Verity's favorite color.

Well, it made sense. After all, they _are_ in Verity's hometown. Or, the outskirts, at least.

"I think we're almost there," said Nami. She was right; they brushed aside the last branch and stood together, staring ahead of them.

At first glance, Rasha thought she was back in Caleria. The small houses seemed deserted, all the same size and shape and color: white with brown shutters and a brown tiled roof. The walls were dirty, unpatched in places they needed to be, and doors were coming off of their hinges. There were a few intact houses; Rasha guessed that they were most likely the only ones inhabited.

"Wow," said Yumi; everyone else was silent. They didn't really know what to say.

Verity began to walk forward, her face stony; the others followed her. They stepped over miscellaneous logs and dusty barrels full of rotten apples and pushed past overgrown vines. A small sign was visible under a tangle on vines:

_Welcome To Hariwake_

Or, that's what Rasha thought it said, as there was a wooden board covering half of 'Hariwake'. The board read:

_Demon's Town_

"Demon's Town?" Rasha repeated, looking at Verity.

"What?" asked Verity. "Where did you see that?"

Rasha pointed to the sign. The corners of Verity's mouth twitched, as if she was forcing herself to smile.

"What does it mean?" Rasha wanted to know. Verity shook her head.

"It's nothing important," she replied evasively. Suddenly, she stopped in front of a large deserted house.

"Is this it?" asked Nami, peering into one of the cracked windows. "Is this where your mom died?"

"Yeah," replied Verity. "It used to be my house, but..." she strode slowly into the doorway. Rasha started to follow her, but Yumi held her back.

"Just let her go by herself for a minute or so," she whispered.

Verity stepped over various objects, like shatter plates and pieces of broken glass, to the center of the room. The walls had been torn down so that the bottom floor of the two-level house had only one room. There was a stove and a few tables where the kitchen should have been, and a lumpy old couch on the other side of the room. The other furniture must have been stolen, Verity realized, because her father collected a whole lot of money from being one of the most feared pirates on the seven seas.

Verity suddenly looked down, as if out of instinct. Amid the dirt and dust that was on the floor, a small glint of gold caught Verity's eye. She bent down and picked it up, examining it in her hand.

It was a piece of something round, perhaps a gold medallion. On the front, there was some sort of design, but Verity couldn't tell exactly what it was. She turned it over and brushed off the dust. Engraved in swirly calligraphy was the word '_Momashi'_, and beneath it was the word '_Respect_'.

-

With the medallion in her pocket and a bunch of flowers in her hand, Verity led the others across a small field. As they crossed over a small hill, they saw a faded white picket fence surrounding a lot full of small tombstones. Despite the fact that it was a graveyard, the place actually looked quite cheerful.

Verity ran down the side of the hill and jumped over the fence. She heard thuds behind her and knew that her friends had followed.

"Why are we in a graveyard?" she heard Rasha whisper to Yumi.

"It must be where her mom is buried," replied Yumi, just as quietly.

Verity smiled to herself. Yumi was right; just ahead was a somewhat tall tombstone marked _Fleur Tarin_. Under it was her birth and death dates, and under that was the epitaph:

_The flower of life bloomed under her skin_

_As she grew with the love from within_

_A life well lived, but alas, was cut short_

_From a life of cruelty, Heaven was her last resort._

Verity's eye's narrowed as she read the last line. 'From a life of cruelty'? 'Last resort'? What did that mean?

Yumi, Nami, and Rasha decided to explore the town's outskirts. But Verity didn't want to leave her mother's grave. She would sit there and cry all day if it meant finally being with her mother again.

-

_Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry_

_I had to find you, tell you I need you_

_Tell you I set you apart._

_Tell me your secrets, and ask me your questions_

_Oh let's go back to the start._

_Running in circles, coming up tails_

_Heads on a silence apart._

_Nobody said it was easy _

_Oh it's such a shame for us to part._

_Nobody said it was easy_

_No one ever said that it would be this hard_

_Oh take me back to the start._

_I was just guessing at numbers and figures_

_Pulling your puzzles apart._

_Questions of science, science and progress_

_Do not speak as loud as my heart._

_Tell me you love me, come back and haunt me_

_Oh and I rush to the start._

_Running in circles, chasing our tails_

_Coming back as we are._

_Nobody said it was easy_

_Oh it's such a shame for us to part._

_Nobody said it was easy_

_No one ever said it would be this hard_

_I'm going back to the start._

* * *

Author's note: Thats such a great song :) Well, new chapter coming soon! Byee!


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